


Treacherous II: War

by spiritalibi



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sun & Moon | Pokemon Sun & Moon Versions
Genre: F/M, Multi, SnowLilyShipping, lonashipping
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-30
Updated: 2019-03-19
Packaged: 2019-05-30 20:35:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 30,524
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15104408
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spiritalibi/pseuds/spiritalibi
Summary: It's been nearly a month since Moon became the Champion of Alola, and she is about to embark on a a huge secret mission.  This story recounts her adventures, from the mishaps, to the flirting, to the fun.





	1. Every Motion is Closer to Touching

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! This is the sequel to my first lonashipping fic, Treacherous! It's going to mainly be about Moon's Ultra Beast mission after she becomes the champion, with some romance and enemies to friends to lovers action! Hope you enjoy!
> 
> Song of the series: War by Brvthr. This song almost makes me get emotional when I think about Moon and Gladion's relationship. Bonus points if you do too, and if you relate it to Shiro and Keith from Voltron.  
> Song of the chapter: Coyotes by Jason Mraz

Lycanroc, Stone Edge, let’s go!”  I cried, as my Pokémon used its strongest move, causing the foe’s Dragonite to faint.  “You’re definitely not here for nothing!”  The challenger said as he recalled his Pokémon.  “Kommo-o, your turn!”  He called, sending out his final Pokémon. 

“Lycanroc, return! Go!  Ribombee!”  I shouted, sending out my fairy-type. 

“Flash Cannon!”  He commanded, and his partner began charging up the steel-type move. 

“Dazzling Gleam, quick!” I directed, and the two moves collided in a huge explosion.  “Now, Ribombee, hear my call!  Together this time, use Twinkle Tackle!”  I requested, hitting my Z-pose as my Pokémon flew up to the huge dragon in the blink of an eye, attacking with all of its might, causing the target to fall, thus ending the battle.    

“You’ve certainly trained your Pokémon well.. But you need to go for it just a little bit more- if you wanna beat me, that is!”  I declared, the champion speech that I wrote and rehearsed for hours on end rattling off of my tongue like the back of my hand. 

“Nothing else to do but keep rocking.. I dig you, Champ.  Looks like you know who you are, right down to your bones.”  Ryuki complimented, before heading back the way he came. 

“Moon, that’s the last challenger of the day.  Take the rest of the day off and go get some rest, okay?”  Kahili suggested, paging my chamber on the intercom.  I obliged, thankful that she had stayed and waited for me, even though the others were long gone.  It was always nice to chat with her after our long days of battling league challengers. 

“That last one was strong- he beat me to a pulp!”  She exclaimed, shaking her head.  “I can’t believe you beat him as easy as you did!” She admired, hitting the button that would lead us back out to Mount Lanakila.

“I wasn’t worried- after all, I had my team with me, and I’m confident in them, no matter who I’m battling!”  I assured, pulling on my jacket as we started walking towards the Pokémon Center.

“That’s why we love serving you, Champion.”  She said, smiling over at me.  Kahili had really become like an older sister to me these past couple weeks, always giving me advice and reassuring me when I had my doubts. 

“Thanks, Kahili.  I appreciate you guys so much.  You’re like family to me.”  I explained truthfully, as we entered the Pokémon Center.  As soon as we did, we were hounded by the trainers that were stopping there for the night.  After a round of selfies and autographs, we were finally able to talk to Nurse Joy and heal our Pokémon.  Heading out for the night with fully healed teams and tired minds, we said our goodbyes. 

“See you later, Moon!  Remember, we have the weekend off!  No challengers are signed up to battle!”  She called, waving as her Charizard flew in the opposite direction. Thankful to finally have a day off after almost three weeks of straight battling, my team and I were glad to be going home for some rest.  I had been planning on going around the islands and checking up on a few of the people who have helped me on my journey, to thank them, and to see how they were doing.  But for now, I was just looking forward to sleeping in my bed. 

 

            Waking up the next afternoon, I hopped out of bed and jumped in the shower. Pulling on my lavender top and shorts, I grabbed brunch and ran out the door.  I stopped at the Pokemon center in the Hau-oli outskirts to grab a cup of coffee, posed for a sew selfies, and signed a couple of autographs before heading to Ilima’s.  His parents greeted me upon arrival.

“Alola, Moon!  It’s always a pleasure to have a visit from our lovely Champion!”  His mom smiled in joy, opening the door. 

“Ilima’s in his room, as always!  You know the way.”  His dad explained, gesturing to the stairs.   

“Thank you!”  I replied, darting up the stairs.

“Hey, Moon.”  Ilima called airily from his desk. 

“What’s up?”  I asked, walking up to him.

“Nothing much, what about you?”  He articulated, turning around to face me. 

“I just wanted to thank you for all of your help on my journey. I’ve been wanting to do this for a while, and I finally have a day off today!”  I explained, as he nodded in understanding. 

“No need to thank me!  I’m always happy to help.  After all, that’s what the trial captains are here for!”  He illustrated in his easy-going tone of voice.

“I know.. It’s just, you were one of the first people to recognize me for the potential I had, so I felt like I needed to thank you especially..”  I explained, rubbing my arm.

“I’ll tell you what.  You call Hau and anyone else you want, and I’ll talk to my friend Mina- you’ve met, right?  The Trial Captain on Poni?”  He paused, waiting on my nod.  “Right. Duh. Anyway, we’ll all go out for drinks tonight.  I don’t know if any of the other captains would be interested.. But Mina is always down for a party. We’ll make your day off worthwhile.”  He offered, getting up and checking his phone. 

“Thanks, Ilima.  I knew I could count on you!”  I called out, running out the door and heading for Iki town.  When I arrived, I could hear Hau’s shouts coming from near the battle stage. 

“Moon!  Alola!” He waved me over. 

“What are you doing?”  I asked, confused by the two Team Skull members that he was with.

“My gramps put me in charge of helping these dudes redeem their wrongs!  I’m teaching them how to battle the right way!”  He explained as his Raichu came up to greet me.

“That’s awesome, Hau!  Listen, I just talked to Ilima and he invited us out for drinks tonight on account of my first few days off in a while.  You in, or what?”  I asked, petting His Raichu, who cried out in delight. 

“Sounds great!  I’ll be there, and you can count on that!”  He accepted, fist bumping me.

“Perfect!  He’s inviting Mina, and he told me to invite anyone else I can think of, and I’ve definitely got an idea of someone who could use a night out.”  I explained, excited to go and see the boy who had been occupying my thoughts ever since I had met him. 

“Does he happen to have blonde hair and green eyes?”  Hau teased, somehow knowing just who I was thinking of.

“How’d you know?”  I asked sarcastically, rolling my eyes and paging a Charizard.  “I’ll see you tonight!”  I called, hopping off the fire-type, and heading for the Aether Paradise.     

 

I arrived at the artificial island and was instantly greeted by the employees that were on shift.

“Alola, Champion Moon.  To what do we owe this visit?”  One of them said before I could go inside. 

“I’m here to talk to the president.”  I explained, growing nervous as my face heated up. 

“Normally we don’t allow just anyone to meet with him without proper paperwork, but I’m sure he’ll be happy to see you.  He should be in the conservatory right about now.”  He noted, looking at his watch. 

“Thank you, sir.”  I nodded, turning to go inside of the large facility.  Walking through the building, I was welcomed with a chorus of “Alola, miss Champion,” and “Champion Moon, so good to see you,” replying with the usual nod and casual wave to the numerous employees walking about the first floor. Ascending to the second-floor conservatory, I took the room in for all of its beauty.  The trees, the sun coming through the skylight, the countless Pokémon ambling around, and the seemingly perfect, temperature-controlled breeze running throughout the entirety of the conservatory.  Taking my time, I meandered along the conservatory’s corridors, looking for Gladion but also appreciating the serenity of the place. Finally, I found him standing against the railing at the end of the room, looking out into the distance.  I audaciously went up and rested my arms against the railing next to him, looking straight ahead at the view of the conservatory. He did a double-take before gazing at me with an exasperated look.  

“Moon.. you came.”  He smiled over at me, and then turned back to look ahead.  “I’ve had some time to think, and I know I’ve already thanked you probably about a million times, but I still feel like I owe so much to you.  For making my sister smile again, for helping my family to be whole again…. I…. My.. My mother’s desires to reach Nihilego, and what she did in order to achieve that goal..  I know she was completely out of control, but that doesn’t mean I can’t understand it.  It.. was my father who started it.  He was the one who first confirmed the existence of Ultra Wormholes and Ultra Beasts, but my father…. He..  Disappeared during an experiment.  Trying to connect an Ultra Wormhole.  And all he left behind was a weakened Cosmog and his papers about Nihilego…” He gulped, and I nodded, to let him know that it was okay, and that no matter what he said, I would support him.  “Lusamine’s obsession with Ultra Wormholes, and with Ultra Beasts… I think it was all basically her way of trying to reach him again.  At least, that’s what I had to believe.  To get through it.”  He sighed, leaning forward and looking at the ground.  I placed my hand on his upper back in an attempt to comfort him, and to my surprise, he didn’t object. 

“Gladion, I am so sorry about your mother, your dad- about everything.  But you have a friend in me and you can talk to me anytime.  And I know that you know that you never have to apologize for anything.” I explained, gently rubbing his back up and down. 

“Yeah, I- I know.  Look, it’s not an apology or anything, but I have something- no, someone for you to meet.”  He explained, pulling a Pokeball out of his pocket, and sending out the huge chimera. “This is the other Type:Null that was created here at the Foundation.  I finally found it in all of the clean up around here, and I’ve been mulling over what to do with it ever since..”  He trailed off, as I went over to my new friend and started petting it.  “I’ll give you the memory drives to use for when it evolves, too.  Type:Null evolves into Silvally only when it trusts its trainer completely.  That’s why the experiments here were never successful. But, I think I know you well enough. I think I can trust you to show it the world.”  He smiled, looking at me fondly. 

“Oh! Gladion, thank you so much!  I can’t wait to train it.. to bond with it- to make new memories with it.  I’ll love it as one of my own!”  I exclaimed, surprising him with a big hug.  After freezing in place for a second out of shock, he finally loosened up and wrapped his arms around me. 

“Hmph..  Maybe it’s time I see a bit more of the world myself..  and starting with that Pokémon League, I think.  I hear that Alola’s got a real strong Champion.”  He smirked, separating enough to raise a cocky eyebrow at me. 

“You think you’re sooo slick..”  I teased, playfully hitting him on the arm, and shaking my head in amusement.  “Hey, Gladion?  There is one other thing that you can do to.. thank me.”  I offered nervously. 

“A-anything.  What is it?” He asked, eyes wide.

“Well, a couple of my friends and I are going out tonight to celebrate my first weekend off in a while.. And, I was hoping you would come and, I mean I don’t really-“  I rambled before being cut off by the blond.

“I’d love to.  I’ll be there.”  He answered, smiling once again.  I really had begun to appreciate that smile as of late. 

“Great, thanks!  The bar in the Hau’oli Shopping District, about 9!”  I called, taking off quickly, feeling giddy and excited from the nerves.     

 

To kill some time, I decided to head to Ula’Ula and Akala to catch up with a few old friends.  “Tapu Village!”  I called, pointing down at the area near the base of Mount Lanakila. 

“Moon!  What’s up?” The pink-haired girl greeted as I knocked on her trailer home. 

“Hey, Plumeria.  Howzit going?”  I asked, high-fiving her as I stepped inside. 

“Nothin much, just been helping to reform the old Team Skull, been doin’ a bit of training.  The yoush.” She explained, waving a hand in the air. 

“I’m so glad.  Can’t wait to battle you someday at the League!”  I exclaimed, touting the Champion’s amulet sitting around my neck.

“You can bet on that.  I’ll make my way up there soon!”  She called out, holding a fist up in the air. 

“Listen, a few of my friends are going out tonight in Hau’oli. I was wondering if you’d like to come?” I asked, hoping that she’d say yes.  _The more the merrier,_ I thought.

“Can’t.  Normally I’d be all about it, but I’ve already got plans today.  Sorry, kid.  Next time!”  She explained. 

“Oh, that’s okay.  No problem.  Let’s catch up another time.”  I called, heading out the door towards my next destination.  Landing in Paniola Town, I knocked on my friend’s familiar front door. 

“Alola, little Champion!”  Kiawe’s mom greeted me. 

“Alola!  Is Kiawe home?”  I asked, trying once again to recruit more friends to accompany me on my little outing. 

“Actually, no!  You just missed him- he left for work not too long ago.  He’s on late shift duty tonight.”  She explained, and I sighed. 

“Okay.. Nevermind.  Thanks anyway!”  I called, officially giving up on my quest. 

 

I decided to head home for dinner and to start getting ready for the night.  I settled on a crop top, skirt, and boots, with a jacket that I wore off the shoulder. I styled my hair half-up, half-down, and gave myself a smokey eye and dark lipstick for my makeup look.  As the day turned to night, I joined my mother for dinner, before heading out for my little celebration.  I took a slow, enjoyable walk to Hau’oli, taking in the crisp summer night’s air as I made my way to the bar.  Ilima, Hau, and Mina were already sitting in a booth near the back of the room.  I presented my ID to the bouncer and made my way towards my friends, simultaneously looking around the room for that familiar flicker of platinum blonde hair, before giving up and sitting at the table. 

“I haven’t seen him yet, either.”  Hau explained, rolling his eyes.

“Who?  What do you mean?”  I asked him, trying to pay dumb.

“Don’t give me that shit, Moon.  You know who.  Geez, you two could be standing at the altar on your wedding day, and you would still act like you hate each other when there are others around.”  Hau chided, reaching across the table to fist bump me in the arm. 

“Yeah, you can see your crush from a mile away.  I mean, your cheeks are bright red, and it’s not just the makeup!  You might as well give it up while you’re ahead.  And him?!  Who else could even possibly drag him out of the Aether Paradise, let alone out in public, to a _bar_?  I’ve never seen him so.. vulnerable with anyone other than you or Lillie.”  Ilima joined in on the fun, adding his own two cents. 

“Shut up!  I still don’t know what you guys are talking about!”  I huffed, crossing my arms in front of me, turning away and rolling my eyes. 

“Bullshit!”  Hau yelled, raising his arms.  “You two are totally in love, and you can try to deny it _all_ you like, but I give it a few months.”  Hau continued, waving his hand in the air nonchalantly.

“Well, we’ll see what happens tonight.”  Ilima giggled, raising his eyebrows. 

“Okay, WHO are you guys talking about?!”  Mina finally chimed in, looking utterly confused. 

“Gladion, duh!”  Hau explained, eyes caught on something behind me.

“Speak of the Devil.”  Ilima pointed out, waving him over.  Hau’s smirk only grew larger as Gladion approached the table. 

“Hau, don’t you fucking dare-“  I began, but before I could finish my sentence, Gladion had arrived, wearing ripped-up jeans and a t-shirt.  _Jeans?!  Why does he have to look so good tonight?  He’s not making things any easier_ , I thought.   

“ _Heyyyy_ , Gladion.  Pull up a chair!  I’m sure Moon would _love_ it if you sat next to her.” Hau gestured to the empty table next to us, not breaking his eye contact with me.  I just shook my head and raised my eyebrows.

“ _I swear_.”  I mouthed, which only made Hau giggle.

“Who’s ready for some drinks?”  Mina asked us, standing up from the table and looking for a waitress. 

“I could _totally_ use a drink.”  I sighed, glaring at Hau, who only continued to giggle.

“Yeah, Moon, why don’t you and Mina go get out drinks? I’m sure they’ll give you a Champion’s discount or something, right?”  Hau asked me, wiggling his eyebrows.  I knew he was up to something, but I didn’t want to protest. 

“Whatever..”  Mina and I said in unison, heading up to the bar.

“So, you like that boy?  Lillie’s brother?”  Mina asked as soon as we were out of earshot with the rest of the group. 

“I mean.. I don’t know.. I guess.. so, if you count wanting to be near them as often as you can, and nearly every waking daydream you have being consumed by the thought of kissing them as liking someone, then yeah… I guess I do..”  I word-vomited, wanting oh so bad to get a drink in me. 

“Damn, girl.  You got it bad, then.  I’ll try not to tease you like the others, but you gotta let him know sooner or later.” Mina said as she patted my shoulder. “Two margaritas for me and Ilima, and a Vodka Sour for Hau.”  She told the bartender as we rested our arms on the counter.

“A double LIT and a whiskey coke, please.”  I ordered, reaching in my purse for my wallet. 

“Coming right up, Ladies- and, there’ll be no need for that, miss Champion.”  The bartender explained, waving my money away. 

“Thanks..”  I grumbled, taking our drinks back to the table, mentally rolling my eyes at the fact that Hau was right. 

“A double LIT?  Soundly like you’ll be getting’ _lit_ tonight!”  Hau exclaimed, rolling over in laughter, as Gladion and I groaned in annoyance. Catching ourselves mirroring the other’s actions, I blushed hard, opting to take a huge gulp of my drink instead of giving Hau another opportunity to make fun of me.  _That’s better,_ I thought, as the drink warmed up my insides.

“So, who’s up for a little game?”  Ilima asked, rubbing his hands together. 

“I’m _always_ down for a game.”  I noted, cracking my knuckles.   

“How’s _never have I ever_ sound?”  Hau asked, a wild look in his eyes. 

“Hau!  Come on, we’re not 12.  We’re not playing that!”  I rejected, knowing that it was just going to be a ploy to get me to admit my feelings to Gladion or something. 

“Well then, what about truth or dare?”  Ilima asked, smirking at Gladion and I.

“Hell no.”  I prohibited, waving my arms in a cross motion in front of me. 

“It’s either one or the other!  Take your pick, Moon!”  Hau giggled, fist bumping Ilima. 

“Hmph.  Fine! Never have I ever then, I guess.” I said, rolling my eyes and glaring at the two boys sitting across from me. 

“First person to finish their drink loses!”  Mina exclaimed, readying her drink.  “Who wants to go first?”  She asked, and much to my dismay, Hau volunteered.

“I’ll go!  Never have I ever…. Been the Champion of Alola!”  Hau yelled over the noise in the bar, looking right at me.

“Cheap shot..”  I mumbled, rolling my eyes and taking a drink. 

“Your turn, _Gladi Boy_.”  Hau chided, clapping him on the back. 

“Thanks, Hau.  I know.” Gladion said, growing irritated with Hau’s antics.  “Never have I ever.. Um… Been a Trial Captain.”  He finally came to a conclusion.

“Cheers!”  Ilima and Mina recited simultaneously, both taking a drink.

“Alright, my turn!  Never have I ever lost a battle to me!”  I proudly declared, crossing my arms smugly in front of my friends. Groaning, they all took a drink. 

“Never have I ever lived on Melemele!”  Mina exclaimed quickly, causing Hau, Ilima, and I each to drink. 

“Nice one, Mina.”  Ilima winked.  “Never have I ever flown in an airplane.”  Ilima said coolly, and Gladion and I both took a drink. 

“Never have I ever denied my feelings for someone.”  Hau said, looking me directly in the eye. 

“You better take a drink with me, then, my friend!”  I demanded, raising an eyebrow and holding my glass up for him to clink.  Rolling his eyes, he obliged.  _I’m not going down without a fight_.  Gladion looked between Hau and I in surprise, and I expertly avoided his eye. 

“Okay... Um, never have I ever been into Ultra Space.” Gladion offered, cornering me with a smirk.  Jaw dropping, I took a reluctant drink. 

“Playing dirty, I see!  Alright then, never have I ever been a member of Team Skull!”  I retorted coyly, as Gladion tightened his glare on me and taking a drink.  I simply smiled back smugly in response.  Hau nearly flipped over at the sight of our exchange. 

“Never have I ever been to the Pokémon League.”  Mina offered, and Hau, Gladion and I each took a drink. 

“Never have I ever had liked someone who was blonde!”  Ilima said abruptly, and Hau and I both glared at him, taking a drink.  I tried to avoid Gladion’s eye as best as I could, hoping he would either not understand what they were trying to do, or forget about all of this by the morning. 

“Clever!”  Hau snapped sarcastically, forgetting that Ilima knew about his crush on Lillie. “Looks like you’re getting low on your drink, Gladi Boy.  Hope no one targets you!”  Hau said all too eagerly, raising his eyebrow and smirking at the two of us.  “Never have I ever slept in bed with someone else.” Hau went on, placing a sarcastic elbow on his table and looking up expectantly at Gladion and I.  The two of us glancing at each other in shock, we hesitantly reached for our drinks.  Gladion turned his upside down to finish it, before slamming it back down on the table and muttering something about needing another drink, then heading to the bar. 

“Hau, come on.  What was that all about?  And how did you even know about that, anyway?”  I asked him, growing more and more irritated by my friend as time passed. 

“I knew the second I noticed that you weren’t in your room that morning.  And I’m only trying to help you guys, anyway!”  Hau explained nonchalantly as I scoffed and Gladion joined us again with another drink.

“So, since you lost, Gladion, you have to do whatever the person who eliminated you says.”  Mina explained, trying to break the awkward silence.   

“Oh, this is PERFECT!”  Hau exclaimed excitedly.  “Gladion, I dare you to kiss Moon.”  Hau stated, elbowing Ilima, the two of them smirking wildly. 

“Oh my god!”  Mina shouted, giggling madly with the other boys.

“Hau, really?  Gladion, don’t listen to him.  You don’t have to do this.”  I explained, feeling my face heat up and growing nervous both at the thought of kissing him, and from seeing him blush as hard as he did. 

“Yeah, Hau, come on.  Stop messing with people like-“  Gladion tried to object, before Hau cut him off. 

“No, no! Nope!  He has to do it.  He lost the game, and those are the rules.  We all agreed to play, which means we all agreed to the outcome. That’s that!”  Hau insisted, not taking no for an answer. 

“Couldn’t we just take a shot or something?”  I pleaded, really not wanting this situation to persist any further. 

“Nope.  I don’t make the rules, sorry!  I just enforce them.  You gotta do it, _Gladi Boy_.”  Hau continued, looking directly at me. 

“You can just make it quick and get it over with..”  Mina suggested, obviously feeling sorry that the boys were ganging up on us. 

“Thanks..”  I moaned, scooting closer to Gladion, who chugged his new drink.  Heart racing, I looked up at him and we locked eyes.  _I could get lost in those eyes for days_ , I thought. 

“I’m sorry about all of this..  They like to mess with me any chance they can get..”  I whispered, and Gladion shook his head. 

“It’s okay.”  He chuckled, smiling down at me.  “Let’s give them a show, if that’s what they want.”  He whispered back, smirking, and I nodded in obligation, returning his smirk. I took his cheek in my palm, and he reached around me to put one hand on the small of my back and one on the back of my neck, as we slowly moved into each other.  His lips were softer, and he was gentler than I could’ve ever imagined, and he tasted like whiskey and sweat.  Inhaling deeply, I put a hand on his chest and we moved closer, falling deeper into the kiss, before pulling away all too soon.  Still wrapped up in each other’s arms, I exhaled into his neck, and he rubbed mine lightly with his thumb, the two of us hesitating for a second before breaking apart completely.  I couldn’t stop looking at him for a few seconds after the kiss.  _Was he really just acting?_   I thought, exasperated at the fact that Hau made us do that in front of all of them, and not in private, where we could discuss our feelings. 

“You guys happy now?”  Gladion asked, wiping his mouth and putting his hand over his face.  “I think I’m gonna head home.  Thanks for having me, guys.”  He turned to me, like he was going to say something else, but then got up from his chair.  “Moon, don’t forget the big meeting tomorrow afternoon.”  He noted, waving off whatever he was going to say before. 

“Meeting?  What meeting?!  Wait!” I called after him, but he couldn’t hear me.  “Uh.. I think I’m gonna go, too..  See you guys later!”  I called, darting to catch up with Gladion.   

“You’re welcome!”  Hau yelled after me, as I laughed and flipped him off, waving goodbye at them.

“Gladion?  Gladion! Wait for me!  What meeting are you talking about?”  I asked, having finally found him outside, walking towards the marina. 

“The big meeting at Aether with Kukui and the Kahunas to figure out what to do about the Ultra Beast situation..  Don’t tell me you forgot!”  He clarified, looking at me, puzzled. 

“ _Oh no…_ ” I mused, deep in thought, trying to figure out how I could have forgotten the meeting.  “Yeah, I completely forgot..  What time is it at?”  I asked him, hoping that it was not too early. 

“It’s at one in the afternoon in the boardroom near my office.” He explained, gesturing in the air. 

“Oh, thank Arceus.  At least I can still get some decent sleep beforehand..”  I trailed off, not knowing what else to say to him after the night’s events.

“Hey, about tonight-“  He mustered, but I cut him off.

“Don’t be sorry.  It was a dare after all, right?”  I asked, not wanting to talk about it, but at the same time hoping, so desperately, for him to stop and kiss me again, right here in the middle of the street. 

“…Okay, Moon..  If you say so..”  He finally articulated after a long pause, looking at me sadly.  “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow.”  He waved as he turned to board the Aether yacht and I headed for my house.

“Hey, Gladion?”  I called after him, before he was too far away.  “I.. I suppose I didn’t hate it?”  I shouted, trying to be heard over the roar of the ship’s engine. 

“Come again?” He shouted back, and I waved him off apathetically, figuring that it was best he didn’t hear that.  I continued on home, and flopped onto my bed, thankful for its comforting ways, before drifting off for the night. 


	2. I'm Prepared to Sacrifice my Life

“You must be Moon, correct?  I’m very grateful that you are joining us here today.  My name is Looker.  I am a member of the International Police, and this here is my boss.”  The professional-looking man explained, stepping into the board room and reaching towards me for a handshake.

“It is an honor to meet you, the first Champion of Alola. My name is Anabel.  I am the head of a secret division within the international police.  We are the UB Task Force.”  The purple-haired woman explained, also shaking my hand. 

“You mean like the one I encountered?  Nihilego?”  I asked, taking my seat at the head of the table.  Sat to my left were the Kahunas, and to my right were Looker, Anabel, Wicke, Kukui, and Burnet.  

“Yes, UB-01.. Symbiont.  I suppose you knew it as Nihilego.  The International Police refers to all of the UBs by code names, like Symbiont there.  I believe you might recognize it as the Pokémon that the woman Lusamine fused with?” She asked me, gesturing towards the hologram of the Ultra Beast that had appeared in the center of the table. Nodding apprehensively, I noticed Gladion cringing in his seat directly across from me. 

“Right, listen up.  Everything that we are about to share with all of you is highly classified information.  Only this group of people right here were chosen because you all are directly involved with either the protection of this region, or with the research regarding the Ultra Beasts.  We must ask that you keep all that you learn here to yourselves.  The incident that Ms. Lusamine caused… Symbiont wasn’t the only UB to appear from the Ultra Wormhole that was temporarily opened at the time.”  Anabel paused, waiting for the murmurs of fear and surprise that had sounded from the meeting attendees to quiet down.

“We have confirmed the presence of another Symbiont, other than the one you encountered, miss Champion.  And, we have received reports of sightings of several other types of UBs. These UBs are dangerous beings whose powers exceed the boundaries and logic of our universe.  They were dropped rudely into this world against their own will.. We can only expect that they will be extremely wary and combative.”  Looker added, only multiplying upon all of our anxiety over what’s to come.   

 “And so, we have been tasked with three duties.  The first is to investigate the ecology of these unidentified UBs. Professors, Aether representatives, this is your main area of concern.  The second is to look out for UBs and protect the people from any harm. Kahunas, this is your task. Finally, our third task is to either protect the UBs, or destroy them… But neither myself, Looker, nor the Aether Foundation would like to see that happen.  Even if they are UBs, they are living creatures.  We would like to protect them, and save them.”  Anabel continued, pausing and waiting for nods of approval from each group of people.      

“If the UBs are, in fact, destructive beings that will seek some sort of revenge upon our world, then the order from above is to erase them completely.  But, protecting the UBs would seem to amount to catching them, and that is a more difficult task than simply destroying them would be.  We do not currently have the battle power necessary to achieve such a goal.” Looker pointed out, allowing Anabel to step in next. 

“And so, we finally arrive at the point.  We wish for you, the Champion of Alola, to lend us your assistance with our third task.  Moon, we want you to join our team.  Please give your aid to the UB Task Force.”  Anabel asked, she and the rest of the group, except for Gladion, looking at me expectantly. 

“Yes.  Of course. Anything you need me to do- anything to help keep Alola safe.”  I declared, nodding my head at Anabel and Looker. 

“So, now that you are a member of our team, there is no time to be wasting.  We must begin our mission at once.  Sightings of Symbiont have been reported on Akala at Wela Volcano Park.  I believe that Madam Wicke here has something that might be able to help you out on your mission.”  Looker explained, gesturing towards Wicke.  When I looked up at her, I could see Gladion fuming out of the corner of my eye. 

“We at the foundation have finally completed our work on the development of our Beast Balls.  They are a unique kind of Pokeball that are specialized for catching Ultra Beasts.  As a result, they are very expensive to make, so we have not been able to mass-produce them. Please consider your timing very carefully for when you will use them during a battle.  The appearance of the UBs is something that we at the foundation are to blame for… That is why we will do whatever is within our power to assist you in this.”  Wicke explained, passing a bag full of Beast Balls my way. 

“Thank you...  So... I’m just supposed to go to wherever the Ultra Beasts have popped up, try to catch them, and hope I don’t.. get hurt?”  I asked Looker and Anabel, trying to make sense out of the mission that they have laid out for me.  Gladion sharpened his glare at the police, crossing his arms in frustration. 

“Essentially… We need this to go as smoothly, and as secretly as possible, which is why we are sending you alone.  But..  That’s not the only reason why we chose you to assist us.  When you entered Ultra Space just a few months ago, you became what is known as a faller.  You absorbed some of the Ultra Wormhole energy due to your proximity to the Ultra Beasts, and the amount of time you spent up there.  When you do encounter these beasts on your mission, they will recognize the aura that you now carry with you as one with their own, and they will most likely seek you out.  With the Team Skull leader as untrustworthy as he is, the young Aether girl in Kanto with her unstable mother, we knew that you would have to be the one to carry this out. Luckily, with you being the strongest trainer in the region, we are confident in your abilities to successfully complete this mission.”  Looker clarified, leaning back in his chair and sighing.  I nodded, narrowing my eyes, taking in the news.  On my left, the Kahunas all nodded in silence.  Kukui sat back, cradling his chin with his fist, deep in thought.  Gladion leaned forward, now sitting at the edge of his seat, glaring intensely at Looker. 

“What do you mean she has to go alone?  There is no way I’m letting that happen!”  Gladion yelled, shocking us out of our daze, causing me to flinch slightly. 

“With all due respect, Mr. President, it’s not really up to you.  It’s already been decided.  She has to go alone.”  Looker defended, clasping his hands in front of him on the table.

“Yes, Gladion.  Our task is to take the Ultra Beasts into custody once they have been acquired.  We all have our own missions to focus on.”  Wicke intervened, calm as always.  Gladion simply groaned in frustration. 

“I don’t see the problem with Moon having an accomplice.” Kukui finally spoke up.

“It is too dangerous to ask that of anybody.  She is a faller, and it has to be her, and her alone.” Anabel insisted, neither her or her partner willing to lose this fight.

“But what if she gets hurt?!”  Gladion roared, also not willing to give up.

“We will always be nearby.  We have faith in her Pokémon to take care of her.”  Looker went on, nodding in my direction.

“Yes, she is the strongest trainer in Alola.  Perhaps even the strongest Champion in the World. She’ll be okay.  We stand by our Champion.”  Olivia announced solemnly, looking at the other Kahunas for back up, who all uttered their agreement. 

“Yes.  I’ve seen her league battles.  She doesn’t hold back.  She’s relentless in battle.  Moon, you’re gonna be fine.”  Hala rationalized, his words almost causing me to tear up. 

“Thank you..  Looker, Anabel, whatever you think is the best way to do this, I’ll comply.”  I stated, wanting to end this conversation as soon as possible, to avoid any further complications with Gladion. 

“Moon, come on!  They’re using you as bait!  What if something happens to you and nobody’s-“  He stopped himself, eyes nearly watering.  “I won’t lose anyone else to these damn Ultra Beasts.”  He finally relayed, running a hand through his hair. 

“This is exactly why we don’t want you involved with this part of the mission, Mr. President.  It’s a conflict of interest.  We don’t have a problem with your relationship per say, but we simply cannot have it getting in the way of our mission.”  Looker articulated, glancing at each end of the table at both Gladion and I. 

“We don’t have a-“ I tried, simultaneously as Gladion attempted to reject Looker’s assumptions.

“There’s nothing going-“ He objected, and Looker put his hands up in the air, signaling us to stop. 

“This tabloid says otherwise.  We didn’t want to have to do this in front of everyone, but we had a feeling that it would come up sooner or later.”  Anabel explained, flinging today’s copy of _Alola Weekly_ onto the center of the table. 

“Who cares about a tabloid?  Nobody reads that crap anyway, and what does it even have to do with this mission?”  Gladion retorted, clearly trying to dismiss the Anabel’s and Looker’s attempts at scolding them.

“I believe she is referring to what is on the _cover_ of the magazine, Mr. President.”  Looker noted, pulling a digital version of the front cover up on the tv screen behind them.  My heart dropped.  Gladion gaped.  It was a photo of the two of them kissing last night at the bar.  I was speechless. 

“Now, as we were saying, we don’t have a problem with the two of you being romantically involved, but until the issue with the UBs spills over, it will seem quite unprofessional to anyone not involved with this mission.  Not to mention the gigantic conflict of interest here.”  Anabel continued, glaring at Gladion, which only made him angrier. 

“We are not romantically involved.  There is no conflict of interest, and last night was just a fun outing and a.. friendly game of never have I ever.  _We_ apologize deeply for any inconvenience that we may have caused.”  I lied, trying to sound as professional as possible.  This only caused Gladion to scoff, which angered Looker and Anabel both. 

“I think the two of you need to talk in private to figure this out.  Moon, I’m looking forward to working with you.  Meet us at the Akala motel tomorrow at 1 PM sharp.  Meeting Adjourned.”  Looker concluded, moving to shake my hand, before heading out the door. 

“I appreciate _all_ of your willingness in helping out with our mission.  It is imperative that we keep this information secret at all costs.” Anabel nodded, shaking my hand and following Looker out the door.  Gladion groaned, and turned to brood while looking out the window as the others left, so that the young adults could hash it out in peace.  I stood up from my chair and waited for the others to exit the boardroom before making my way over to Gladion. 

“Gladion…  Do you really not believe in me?  Do you really think I can’t handle this?  Because, if you do,  that’s real low, even for you to say.  I mean, after everything we’ve been through?  I thought you were my..  Friend…” I trailed off, both sad and frustrated at how he had chosen to react to all of this. 

“Moon, you know that’s not what I think.  I believe in you more than anybody.  I’ve experienced your strength first-hand.  I know you can hold your own.  And, that’s why I’m scared.  I’m afraid that you’ll push yourself too far, and..  Get into real trouble...  They don’t know you like I do, Moon.  I need to be there to protect you.”  He justified, his palm cupping her chin.  I placed my hand around his exposed wrist.  “Sometimes, even the Champion needs saving, even if it’s from herself this time.  I..  I don’t like this, and I hate that I don’t really get a say…  I- just promise me you’ll be careful, and call the International Police, or me, the second you get into a rough patch.”  He insisted, moving his hand, now running his thumb along my jawline.

“I…”  I started, but I knew I couldn’t make that promise.

“Moon, please, you have to promise me.  If something happens to you out there, I’ll blame myself for the rest of my life.  Please, be careful.”  He pleaded, voice breaking at every syllable. 

“I- alright, I’ll be careful…  I had no idea.. I’m sorry…”  I mustered, nearly in tears.  

“Don’t be.  I know you’re just doing your job as Champion- I’m..  Sorry I lost my cool during the meeting.   I just..  What I said back there was all true.  I can’t lose anyone else.  Good luck, with the mission..”  He shook his head, notedly trying to fend off the tears that were forcing their way to his cheeks.

“I- Thank you.  I guess I’ll see you around.  I’ll let you know how everything goes..”  I replied, pulling away from him and heading for the door. 

“Gladion?”  I mumbled, turning around nervously.

“Yeah?”  He asked, eyebrows raised in surprise.

“Thank you..  For caring about me.  I would ask you to come along if I could.  You know that, right?  I do want you there.”  I told him, rubbing my arm and trying to hide the flush in my cheeks as he approached me.

“I know.  I know you do.”  He reassured me, wrapping his arms around me in an affectionate hug.  I knew he couldn’t help with my mission, but I felt comfort in the fact that he would be there in spirit.  Reaching my arms around his neck, I buried my face in his chest, and we stood like that for a sweet, silent moment.  Daringly, I angled my face up to lightly peck his cheek.  He turned his face to meet my lips, and once again cupped my cheek in his palm as I pulled one hand down to his chest, the other grazing the back of his neck.  The two of us no longer able to stand the tension between us, and not being able to bear the thought of being apart for who knows how long, we relished in our private moment. 

“I’m- sorry…. Y-you know we can’t do this, right?”  I asked, breaking away from him, resting my head on his collarbone, feeling guilty for initiating the kiss. 

“I know.”  He replied, petting my hair, and placing a kiss on the top of my head.  “I’m sorry, too.  I’m not making this easy on you.  You should probably go and get some rest before the mission tomorrow.  Good luck…”  He suggested, falling back to lean against the table, running a hand through his bangs and sighing stressfully.  Looking at him for a painful moment, I, too, sighed, before turning around and heading out the door.  Upon exiting the facility, I was hounded by paparazzi.  Apparently, word had gotten out of my visit to Aether. 

“Miss Champion, how was your visit with the president?” One of them asked, snapping a picture, while I desperately reached for my ride pager.

“Champion Moon, can you tell us anything about your relationship with the Aether President?  How long have you two been dating?” Another asked, holding a recording device up to my face.  Ignoring them, I called a Charizard, hoping they would leave me alone long enough for me to wait for my ride. 

“Champion, what do you have to say about your public display of affection last night?”  The third one asked, showing me the dreaded magazine from earlier.

“There’s nothing to say.  It was a dare.  There’s nothing going on.  I came here for… A business meeting.  Now, please, leave me alone.”  I clarified, hoping that they would take my lies as answers.  Finally, my Charizard arrived, and I quickly climbed on its back, grateful to be heading home, where I could think in peace.       

       

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song of the chapter - Mercy by Shawn Mendes


	3. Falling like Ashes to the Ground

I awoke the next morning in a panic, anxious about the day to come.  Nightmares filled with scenes of Nihilego fusing with me, not to mention the flashbacks from Lusamine’s meltdown, I did not feel very well-rested despite the ample time that I had slept.  Getting up, I looked in the mirror and sighed.  _They need me.  Alola needs me.  I have to be strong.  For everyone_ , I thought, the events from the past few nights flashing through my mind. Pulling on some clothes, I grabbed a bite to eat and gave my mom a hug, before heading out to meet Looker and Anabel. When I arrived on Akala, I could already feel the negative energy lingering in the air, an omen of the day to come.  Hands shaking, I gripped the door of the motel room, where the police duo were waiting to greet me.

“Alola, Champion.  Thank you for joining us.”  Looker said, shaking my hand. 

“Anytime..”  I nodded, trying to feign confidence. 

“We’ll keep this short.  You are to head to Wela Volcano Park to search for Symbiont.  It may be tough to find, but we are sure that it will eventually find you.”  Anabel began the briefing, emphasizing her syllables with her hands.

“Right.  When you do finally come into contact with it, try not to damage it too much.  Catch it with the Beast Balls from Aether, and then bring it back here to us at once.  If it goes rogue and the only option is to hurt it to protect yourself, then do as you must.”  Looker continued, blinking slowly with every new command.   

“We are doubtful that it will get to such desperate measures, but just in case, we are just a phone call away.  I’m programming our speed-dial button into your Rotom-dex, so that all you will have to do if you need to reach us is click a button, or tell your friend here to dial us.”  Anabel explained, fiddling with Rotom. 

“That’s great, thank you.”  I mumbled, growing uneasy as the time passed.

“Moon, please, please be careful.  It is of the utmost importance that we have you intact to carry out the rest of our mission.”  Looker requested, placing a hand on my shoulder.  I nodded, and Anabel let Rotom float back to me. 

“Good luck out there, soldier.  You’ll be great.  Patience yields focus.”  Anabel advised, smiling at me as I thanked them and headed out the door.  I took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly before calling a Charizard to take me to Wela. 

 

As soon as I landed, I felt that negative energy from the Ultra Beast ten-fold, nearly stumbling over, the painful memories of Ultra Space hitting me like a brick.  _I know exactly where it is_ , I thought, the connection I had to the UBs even stronger than I would have thought. I sent out my Type:Null to help steady me, and to keep me company as I head for the end of the path. 

“Hey there, Nully..”  I cooed, petting its back.  “I need your help today.  I’m feeling pretty weak, but I have this huge mission that I’ve gotta take care of. Think you’re up for it?”  I asked it, and it roared in rejoice.  “That’s great.  Let’s go!”  I cheered, keeping a hand on my Pokémon as we walked on. 

“It’s just up ahead!”  I whispered, sensing Nihilego’s aura as I closed my eyes and concentrated. Just then, a barrage of floating, sparkling rocks was sent our way, hitting me square in the ankle and knocking me down.  Null jumped in front of me to protect me, but I couldn’t focus on giving it any commands. My ankle throbbing in pain, I tried to cling on to reality, fading in and out of consciousness due to both the fatigue from Nihilego’s aura, and the intense aching I was feeling.  Kneeling on the ground, I could hear Null’s cries, which snapped me back to life.  _Come on, Moon.  Gladion entrusted you with his Pokémon.  The International Police entrusted you with their most important mission.  You can’t let them down,_ I told myself, willing my legs to stand up, and mentally telling my ankle to stop hurting, to just hold on for a few minutes.  _This is just another battle.  You know what to do_ , I instructed myself, knowing that the familiar rush of a battle was enough to get me going.   

“Nully, I’m sorry!  Use Crush Claw!”  I directed, and my new friend sprang into action, causing just the right amount of damage to the Ultra Beast that I had hoped for.  “Good job!  Let’s keep it up!  Use X-Scissor!”  I shouted, pointing out at the target, as my Pokémon quickly collided with Nihilego, which slowed it down substantially.  “Alright, Beast Ball, here we go!”  I yelled, throwing the special Pokeball at the UB, successfully catching it.  Null ran across the way to the ball and rolled it over to me before hurrying to my side.  “Nully… Thank you so much..  You saved my life.”  I cried, sinking to the floor and hugging my Pokémon’s side.  “Rotom, call Looker and Anabel, please.  I’m not sure how well I can make it out of here.”  I instructed, pocketing the Beast Ball and leaning on Null. 

“Bzzt.  You got it, Champ.”  Rotom chirped, phoning the police. 

“Moon, that was awfully quick.. What happened?”  Looker answered frantically.

“Looker.. I caught the beast, but..  I got hurt.  It caught me off guard and attacked out of nowhere.  I’m weak.  I’m not sure I can make it out of here very easily…”  I trailed off, wincing as I adjusted my sitting stance, the pain catching up with me again.

“We’re on our way.  Thank you for reaching out to us.  We’ll see you soon.”  He informed me before quickly hanging up.  When they arrived, I passed the beast ball over to them and explained everything that happened.  From feeling the beast’s negative energy the second I landed on Akala to nearly being knocked out by its aura when I arrived at Wela, and then being able to sense exactly where it was the entire time.  We all agreed that it would be a good idea to schedule another meeting, but this time only with the Aether staff.  Feeling anxious both about the missions to come, and about seeing Gladion again, I sighed heavily, trying not to succumb to a panic attack.  _He’s going to be livid.  He’s not going to let them live this down.  Arceus, please just let this go smoothly_ , I thought to myself as I fell asleep in the back of the undercover police car.  They took me to the marina, and then helped me on to an Aether yacht to be hospitalized in private, away from the press.  They made sure to let my mother know, and then let Kukui know that I probably won’t be able to defend my title any time soon. After arriving at Aether, the staff took me to the infirmary to get an X-ray before finally leading me to my hospital room, where Looker and Anabel were waiting for me.  The doctor came in shortly after, and he told me that I had a sprained tendon, and that the healing process would be very tedious. There was no surgery that they could give me, and the only thing they could do was ice and brace the injury and provide me with some high-dose painkillers. 

“If you don’t mind, I’d like to stay here tonight.. I’m not really in the mood to move right now.  If we could have the meeting in here, that would be great…  Also.. does Gladion know I’m here?”  I asked, surprised that he hadn’t already busted through the door.

“We haven’t informed him personally, but I’m sure the staff has.  We can do the meeting here.  It’ll just be us, him, and Wicke anyway.”  Looker explained, as Anabel made a phone call, most likely to Wicke.  

 

“WHERE IS SHE?!” A familiar voice screeched from somewhere outside my room, causing me to jump awake. 

“Stay awake, Moon.  Stay with us.”  Anabel soothed, my head spinning as I sat up.  Just then, Gladion finally did bust through the door. 

“Moon!  What happened?!  Are you okay?”  He howled hysterically, bracing my neck with both hands, and kneeling down on the floor next to the bed so that he was at eye level with me.

“I’m fine.  Just really weak and in a lot of pain.”  I explained, pushing his hands away from me.  The look that grew on his face may have slightly broken my heart, but I was not currently in the mood for 20 questions.  “I’m sorry- I just…”  I sighed, burying my face in my hands, not knowing what to say.  I was in too weak of an emotional state to deal with him. 

“It’s..  I’m sorry…” He apologized, still looking incredibly upset. 

“Miss Moon, dear, are you alright?  I ran here as soon as I heard the bad news.”  Wicke hurried in, breathing heavily and closing the door behind her. 

“Now that we’re all here, let’s begin the meeting.” Looker directed, folding his arms in front of him, and began explaining everything that I had told them about what had happened.  I could visibly see Gladion’s hear tear into pieces with each new sentence, ultimately deciding to keep my eyes closed, training my focus on Looker’s words. 

“So, we’ve come to the conclusion that we will give our Champion here a few days to recover before she extracts for the next mission.  Lives are at stake here, and we can’t stand to wait too much longer.”  Anabel explained, causing Gladion to stand up from his spot next to my bed. 

“We don’t need to.  Let’s start the next mission tomorrow.  I’ll be fine.”  I suggested, not wanting to sit idle for the next few days. 

“You need time-”  Looker began, before being cut off by Gladion. 

“NO!  You will _not_ keep doing this to her!  This is exactly what I was worried about! But you guys just kept pushing, and now... She’s not going alone again!  I _will_ be going with her!”  He shouted, stepping closer to them, ready to get in their faces if he has to.

“I’m sorry, Mr. President, but the press are already having a field day after spotting us at the Konikoni Marina.  We can’t risk having the Aether President and the Champion, especially as.. _involved_ … as you are, taking part in a top-secret mission together!”  Anabel shouted back, and I sunk lower in my bed, avoiding catching eye contact with anyone. 

“Master Gladion, please calm down..”  Wicke attempted, trying to step in between Anabel and him. 

“No!  Either I go with her, or..  Or I’m cutting off my grant!  The International Police will no longer receive funding from the Aether Foundation, and you will no longer be welcome on our premises.”  Gladion retorted, crossing his arms in defiance. 

“Mr. President-“  Anabel and Looker both started, but I cut them off.

“Gladion!  Arceus, sometimes you really need to think before you act.  If you cut your grant, you’re not only hurting them, but you’re hurting me, and everyone else in the entire world, too.  Without your money, the police can’t fulfill their duties as well as they do now.  You can’t do this!”  I pleaded, hoping that he would at least listen to me.

“…Fine.”  He scoffed after a minute of contemplation, then sighed and sat down on the edge of my bed, continuing to think deeply.  My heart ripped in two seeing how much he wanted to protect me.  _I want him there, too, but at what cost?_   I asked myself, thinking of a way where we can all walk out of this happy. 

“Looker, Anabel..  I’ll do whatever you say, but Gladion _will_ accompany me on the rest of the missions.  I cannot do this alone.”  I started to make my bargain, causing Gladion to whip his head up at me in surprise.  “We won’t be seen together in public, and we’ll keep the whole thing under wraps.  We promise.  You don’t comply, I walk, and you can find a new faller.  Understand?”  I asked confidently, knowing I at least had a leg up there.  After a moment’s pause, Anabel finally spoke up.

“…He can go with you, but only to look out for your health- to keep you safe.  Is that understood, president?  This is not about you.  This is about her.”  Anabel asked, sighing in disbelief.

“Yes.  I will not let you down.”  Gladion answered thankfully, having finally gotten what he wanted. 

“Meet us at the Melemele hotel tomorrow at 12 PM sharp for your next assignment.  Meeting adjourned.”  Looker demanded, as he, Anabel, and Wicke shuffled out of the room, leaving Gladion and I alone. 

“Moon..  I’m sorry I keep freaking out about all of this… But, I just..  Care too much, I guess..  We’re… We’re too close.  I’ve got to protect you.  I don’t know what I’d do if something were to happen to you..”  He apologized, refusing to look at me.

“I’m not mad.  I’m just exhausted.  You have no idea how draining it is for me to be near those Ultra Beasts.  And now with my ankle…  I need you out there.  I need you, Gladion.”  I admitted, looking at him painfully, but hopefully.  

“Okay.  You can count on me.  I’ll leave you be.  Rest up. Goodnight.. I’ll see you tomorrow.” He replied, smiling softly and squeezing my hand before tucking me in and turning off the lights, heading for the door. 

“Gladion…”  I called into the dark.  _Kiss me, please_ , I thought, realizing how badly I wanted him to stay here in the hospital room with me tonight, but I knew I would grow irritated at the lack of space combined with the pain I was dealing with.    

“Hmm?”  He asked, and I could hear him stop in his tracks. 

“I’m sorry I pushed you away earlier..  All of your questions- I just couldn’t.  I didn’t mean it..”  I tried to apologize, my voice straining.  He was right beside me now. 

“It’s okay.  I understand. You’ve been through a lot of trauma. You need sleep.”  He answered, rubbing his thumb on the back of my hand, and kissing my forehead before heading out the door.  _Come back, come back and push me against the wall.  Kiss me, and make me believe_ , I thought, heart and ankle aching.  _We can’t be together,_ I reminded myself, rubbing my eyes and sighing deeply.  _But I want him, now and forever_ , I reprimanded my mind, hoping that my thoughts would soon turn into dreams instead of the usual nightmares.    

 

“Moon…  Moon, sweetheart…  Wake up.” A soft voice hummed and pulled me out of my slumber. 

“Mom?”  I blinked, momentarily forgetting where I was.  As my vision came to, I remembered that I was in the Aether hospital wing, injured and weak from yesterday’s events.  

“How are you feeling, dear?”  She asked me, sitting down on the bed next to me and rubbing my shoulder. 

“Better, I think..”  I said, rolling my hurt ankle.  “I can move it, at least, so that’s good.”  I noted, leaning onto her side. 

“That’s great, sweetie.  I’m sorry I couldn’t make it up here last night, but I hopped on the ferry first thing this morning.  Hau also sends his best.  He’s working with the professor to temporarily fill your Champion position while you are recovering, so he couldn’t make it.”  She explained, wrapping her arms around me. 

“That’s okay.  I’m just glad you’re here..  Mom, this is getting so much more stressful.  I’m..  Not supposed to tell you this, but I’m working undercover on a mission to save Alola. That’s..  All I can really say right now, and word can’t get out to the press or anyone else, or it could blow our whole cover.  But I thought you ought to know…  In case of…”  I word-vomited, stopping only because I didn’t know what to say next.  _In case of what?_   I asked myself, inhaling and exhaling deeply to keep myself focused on not having a panic attack.

“Sometimes it’s hard having a daughter that everyone depends on..  It means constantly worrying about her, hoping that nothing bad will happen to her.. Knowing that her duty is to the world, and not to your family…. Moon, don’t get me wrong, love.  I am immensely proud of you.  I love you so much, my child.”  She rambled sweetly, sighing, and wiping my tears.  I gulped.  She hardly ever showed her feelings, so on the rare occasion that she did, it was a hard pill to swallow.  _I suppose I got that from her_ , I figured, savoring such a rare occasion. 

_Knock knock knock_

“Come in…”  I answered, allowing Gladion to enter the room.

“Moon?  Oh- Sorry! I was just checking on…”  He tried, startled by my mother’s appearance. 

“Mom, this is Gladion.  He helped with Lusamine’s rescue mission.  He’s… Lillie’s brother, and he will be helping me with the top-secret mission that I was talking about earlier.”  I explained, hoping that she wouldn’t question why the Aether President would be visiting me, of all people, first thing in the morning.     

“Good morning, Mr. President.  I admire the hard work that you’ve put in here at the Foundation, and all that you’ve done for my Moon.  Thank you for volunteering to keep her safe.”  She acknowledged, standing up to shake his hand, slight smirk on her face.  _She knows.  She must’ve seen the tabloid_ , I realized.  _Please don’t pursue it, Mom. Don’t give us a hard time.._ I hoped, and to my surprise, she didn’t.      

“Oh, it’s no problem at all.  I’m- happy to help.  We can’t complete this mission and protect the people of Alola without our brave Champion, can we?”  He asked sarcastically, smirking in my direction, causing my stomach to flip.

“Definitely not.  I’ll leave you two to it, then.  Moon, stay strong, and please, be careful, whatever it is you’re doing.” She concluded, her last message sounding more like motherly advice rather than a warning, before heading out the door. 

“Think you can walk?  We’ve gotta get going as soon as possible.”  Gladion pointed out, walking towards me.

“Yeah.  I need to shower first, though.  Can you help me up?”  I asked him, swiveling my legs over the side of the bed and offering him my arm. 

“Of course.”  He smiled, taking my offer and wrapping his other arm around my back for support. Wincing, I stood up, and we cumbersomely walked to the bathroom. 

“Thanks..”  I said, awkwardly waiting for him to leave so that I could get ready for the day. “What are you doing?  I’ll come meet you outside when I’m ready.”  I snapped, still waiting for him to get out. 

“I.. I don’t really want to leave you alone again. What if you get hurt again?”  He asked, a sad look on his face. 

“Gladion, it’s just a shower.  I’ll be fine.  Hand me Null’s Pokeball and I’ll call it out if I get hurt, or something.  Now, go, please.”  I begged.  I hated having people wait on me like this.  He sighed, and handed me the Pokeball and exited the hospital room. Locking the door behind me and setting Null’s Pokeball on the counter, I splashed my face with water, took my pain killers, and hopped in the shower.  _That was just what I needed_ , I thought, a warm wave of relief washing over me like the jets of water. I finished getting ready for the day, ankle feeling a little bit better thanks to the medicine, and went outside to meet Gladion, who handed me a bagel and a cup of coffee. 

“Thanks,”  I grumbled, taking an eager bite of my breakfast, realizing how starved I was. “I’m sorry I pushed you out earlier.. I just don’t like to be waited on like that.  It just stresses me out even more.”  I explained, and he just nodded and lead me to the Aether yacht that would take us to the site of our next mission.          

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! School has started back up for me so I probably won't be updating this story as much for the next few weeks, or I'll at least be doing shorter chapters. Sorry about that, and I hope you don't mind! I've got some good ideas planned, though!!
> 
> Song of the chapter - Believer by Imagine Dragons


	4. Sanctify my Body with Pain

Gladion and I spent the majority of the boat ride to Melemele sitting on opposite sides of the deck. Sidetracked by the views of the ocean and the confusion over the fact that we were temporarily avoiding each other, I jumped at Gladion’s shoulder nudge, signaling that we had docked. The walk through the city was treacherous to say the least. I could feel the UB’s presence, and my ankle was still not fully healed, so I was a little bit slower than I would have preferred to be. And, the fact that we weren’t really on the best of terms didn’t exactly hurt our situation, but it didn’t alleviate the fact that we still needed to stay as far away from the press as possible. 

 

“Champion Moon! Oh my Arceus!” A young trainer called.

“Ah! It’s Gladion, too! They’re so cute!” Another squealed, as a group of them gathered.

“Just ignore them. Come on.” Gladion whispered, hurrying ahead of me. I picked up my pace to fall back in step with him. Unfortunately, we’re in Alola, where it’s hot all the time, so it’s not like we could really disguise ourselves with our hoods or scarves or anything. We made it about two blocks without being recognized again, but apparently our appearance on the island had gotten out. Paparazzi were waiting for us outside of the city hall.

“To what do we owe this occasion?” The one closest to us called.

“Champion Moon, President Gladion! Over here!” Another yelled, waving to catch our attention. So much for staying out of the press’ eye.

“What is Alola’s biggest power couple doing in Melemele on this fine morning?” The third one asked, holding out a microphone and stepping closer to us.

“We’re not a couple!” I called out after them, and we kept on walking, but they insisted on following.

“Yeah.. Just leave us alone!” Gladion yelled back, and we picked up our speed, much to the irritation of my throbbing ankle.

“How does the Aether foundation view your relationship with the Champion, Mr. President?” They pushed, not giving up.

“Just ignore them.” I whispered, not wanting to cause any more of a scene than we already were.

“We’ve seen the picture- and then we saw Moon leaving the Aether foundation! What do you have to say about that?” They continued, gaining on us.

“We don’t have anything to say about it because we’re not together. Please, just go away.” Gladion explained calmly before grabbing my hand and ducking into the Pokémon Center. Luckily, the building was relatively empty, aside from the workers and a straggling trainer or two.

“Fuck!” I exhaled, shaking my head. “We were supposed to stay out of the news.. We’re going to be on the front cover of tomorrow’s issue of Alola Weekly..”

“It’ll be okay. We’ll figure it out.” He reassured me, releasing his grip on my hand as the two of us realized that he was still holding it.

“I.. We should check to make sure the coast is clear.” I suggested, shaking my head and moving towards the window.

“I don’t see any of them. Let’s go.” He directed, and we both headed out the door. Luckily, the paparrazi were gone. I guess they got the story they wanted, I thought as we made our way to the Melemele Motel. 

 

“Moon, Gladion! It’s a disaster!” Looker cried out hysterically as we turned the doorknob to enter the motel room.

“Looker, it’s okay! We’re sorry we got caught. We won’t let it happen again!” I pleaded with him in hopes of forgiveness.

“What? What are you guys talking about? I mean the UBs!” Looker exclaimed confusedly, causing Gladion and I to break out in nervous faces and awkward blushes.

“Uh- Nothing…. What’s going on with the Ultra Beasts?” Gladion quickly covered up.

“It’s.. UB-02, Buzzwhole. It seems to be a beast of great strength and formidable muscles, ravaging out in Melemele Meadow.. But, that’s not all.. We’re picking up another creature on our radars. There appears to be a third Ultra Beast, which we’re coining Pheromosa. It’s a beautiful, yet dangerous UB that can move at incredible speeds.” Looker explained, looking distressed.

“Two Ultra Beasts?! I could barely manage the first one! And I’m still injured! How do you guys expect me to do this?!” I sputtered, anger beginning to form in the pit of my stomach. I may be the Champion, but this is all beginning to be too much.

“We trust that you can do this, young Champion. We are confident that you will find a way to get through this.” Anabel clarified, apathetical as always.

“True. There’s no time to waste. Moon, stay strong out there. Mr. President, keep her safe at all costs.” Looker commanded, patting Gladion’s shoulder and ushering us towards the door.

“Meet back at the Aether labs first thing tomorrow morning with the Ultra Beasts in your possession. And please, try not to be seen again.” Anabel directed before we shut the door on our way out. Gladion and I just looked at each other for a second, taking in everything that had just happened. 

“So.. There are two of them this time…” I began, feeling like now would be a time to give up the missions.

“Hey, if anyone can do this, it’s you. There’s a reason why they asked you. You’re the strongest person I-they know.” Gladion reassured, pulling my chin up with a hooked finger to meet his gaze.

“Thanks…” I said, feeling self-conscious and looking at the floor.

“Let’s go.” He sighed and let me go, and we made our way to Melemele Meadow, ducking between the trees and the bushes to stay out of anyone’s sight.

 

Upon entering the meadow, I almost doubled over from the rush of Ultra Beast energy. It was just like the last time, only this time it was amplified due to there being two UBs here. Luckily, I had Gladion with me this time and he was quick enough on his feet to catch me in his arms. Chest to chest, I laid my forehead against his shoulderblade, trying to steady myself.  


“I’m sorry- it’s just..” I managed, struggling to keep my balance.

“Hey, you’re okay. That’s what I’m here for.” He comforted, patting my hair. Exhaling with a big push, I got myself back together, and we walked on.

“So… What is it? How do you instinctively know where they are? And, what is it about them that weakens you?” He asked after walking for a little while.

“Oh..” I began, realizing for the first time that I had never told him where to go- I just went, and he followed diligently. “Yeah, right…. I, um.. I don’t know. I can just sense them, somewhere in my subconscious. It’s their energy. It’s the same energy that made me almost fall over back there, and back during the first mission.” I tried my best to explain, to which he nodded, contemplating this new information.

“Look, I don’t know what’s going to happen when we find the beasts, but I’m trying to get a grip on how I react to their energy... To maybe channel it somehow? Just don’t judge me if something happens to me, okay?” I proposed to him, feeling extremely insecure about this whole situation.

“Moon…” He sighed, looking at me, surprised and confused. “I would never judge you. I know this is all new to you. Hell, I don’t even really know what’s going on with you, but I’m here for you, whatever you need, okay?” He confided, smiling softly at me from the other side of the path we were walking on.

“Thanks..” I stopped in my tracks. “One of them is close. I can feel it. It’s just up ahead. Are you ready? Stay alert. They.. might attack you out of nowhere.” I cautioned him, reaching for my Pokeballs, and sending out my Type:Null. He did the same, sending his Silvally out.

“Let’s do this.” He cheered, and we marched on. 

It hit me all at once- the intensity from the Ultra Beast energy, causing me to stumble back a few feet, Gladion catching me trust fall-style. Thank Arceus for him, I thought, recollecting the last time I was attacked and felt utterly powerless. The beast was huge, and terrifying. It had to be at least 8 feet tall and 5 feet wide. Silvally and Type: Null ran out in front of us to initiate the battle, which only provoked the Ultra Beast to unleash a powerful Hammer Arm attack before we could even call out any directions for our Pokémon. The two chimeras scattered to avoid getting hit, and Gladion turned to shield me with his arms.  


“Use Crush Claw!” The two of us yelled, commanding our Pokémon to spring into action, both colliding with the large UB. Stumbling back slightly, the Ultra Beast recovered and countered with a huge punch toward Silvally. Luckily, Gladion had given it the fire-type memory, and the attack did not affect it that much.

“Nully! Watch out for its attacks! You’re vulnerable!” I advised, and my Pokémon barked in acknowledgement.

“Multi-Attack, now!” Gladion yelled, as Silvally became cloaked in fire and rammed into Buzzwole’s side. Rendering it unable to move for a few seconds.

“Aerial Ace, let’s go!” I directed, and my Type:Null moved at top speed, hitting the giant beast with the flying-type attack, making it fall once and for all, it’s impact causing a small quake of the ground around us. 

“Woah.. Moon, throw the Beast Ball!” Gladion reminded me, tugging at my backpack.

“Right!” I responded, quickly reaching for the ball and tossing it at the Pokémon.

“Yes!” Gladion and I cheered in unison as the ball clicked into place.

“Here, let’s stash this away in your bag for safe-keeping.” He suggested, handing me the Beast Ball after retrieving it.

“Mm-mm.” I disagreed, shaking my head. “I want you to keep it. If it weren’t for you, I would’ve been toast back there.” I praised, closing my hand around the ball and pushing it back toward him, smiling deeply in gratitude. “Now, let’s go get that other one.” I exclaimed, and continued onward. 

 

“Gladion, I don’t know if I can take another battle with these beasts.” I finally said after walking in silence for a few minutes, my ankle begging me to stop.

“Do you want me to.. Carry you?” He asked, clearly not sure what to do at this point.

“N- No. I just.. The UB keeps moving, up ahead, farther and farther away from us. I think it’s trying to lure us into a trap or something. Like a dead end somewhere at the end of the meadow. I can sense it.” I explained, gesturing wildly in frustration.

“Okay, so… What do you want to do then?” He asked, still confused.

“I don’t know, but at this rate we’ll never catch up to it until we waltz right into its trap. And my ankle is killing me right now, and my head is still throbbing from before. I just don’t want to do it anymore.” I explained, sitting down on a rock on the side of the path.

“Well, can we.. Sneak up on it somehow?” He asked out of the blue. “Maybe find an alternate path and come up from behind, and hit it before it can even realize where we’re coming from?” He offered, sitting down next to me.

“Yeah. Yeah, that might work! Then we can catch it before we even have to battle it! That’s perfect! Gladion, you’re a genius!” I squealed, nudging his shoulder closest to me. “…What?” I asked, wary of the smirk that had grown on his face.

“Nothing. I know I am.” He retorted, getting up from the rock and crossing his arms in victory.

“Are you flirting with me?” I asked coyly, not wanting to give in.

“Nope. Not at all.” He countered, offering a hand to help me up from the rock.

“Mhmm. Okay. Alright.” I replied, meeting his smirk and accepting his help, getting up from the rock.

“But seriously. You don’t need to be walking on that ankle. Hop on my back and we’ll go find that alternate route.” He suggested, bending down a little so I could jump up.

“Ah, no thanks. I’ll be okay. I could just use a ride Pokémon if it comes down to it.” I declined, waving a hand nonchalantly and beginning to walk.

“Moon. I’m not kidding. I’m not going with you until you agree. And besides, a ride Pokémon would make too much noise in here, and you know that.” He explained after I had walked a few feet. “Come on. Get on.” He argued, covering the length that I had walked and leaning over again so that I can get on his back.

“Ugh, fine.” I mumbled and hopped up resentfully, mostly annoyed that I would have to tell him where to go from now on, coupled with not wanting to be a burden to him. After what felt like a few minutes of walking, my arms and legs got tired of holding myself up and I let myself wrap my arms around his neck and my legs around the front of him, and lean my head on his shoulder, inadvertently melting into him. He smelled like sweat and the faintest hint of cologne, and I found myself reveling in this sweet moment. “If you get too tired, let me know. I really don’t mind walking.” I reminded him, and we walked like this for what seemed like an impossibly long period of time. Looking up at the sky, I realized that it was starting to get dark. I closed my eyes, and sensed the Pokémon ahead. Its whole form had visualized in my mind this time, and not just a vague source of energy. _It was.. Beautiful. Like nothing I had ever seen. It was angelic and iridescent, graceful, yet terrifying. If we keep on going, I’ll be able to see it for real- Wait! No, Moon! You’re not thinking clearly! Yep, I definitely did not want to battle that. _“Gladion, let me down, now.” I instructed, sliding off of his back, grabbing his hand, and pulling him into the tree line with me, just past the clearing. “It’s not too far now. That thing, it’s terrifyingly beautiful. I think it has some sort of… Something.. That makes you want to be near it. It pulls you in, kind of like a siren, you know? We have to be fast, careful, stealthy, and calculated. And lucky.” I listed, wanting to keep him safe, as he nodded in tandem with my words.__

____

“Okay, so we’ll stay in the tree line, sneak up on it, attack it from behind so it doesn’t suspect anything, then boom, you throw the beast ball.” He proposed, to which I nodded. 

__

"Let’s use our flying types, that way they won’t make as much of a scene.” I advised, and I sent out my Decidueye, while he sent out his Crobat. “Circle around behind the Ultra Beast- but do it quietly! We’ll meet you there!” I whispered, and the two flew ahead slowly. I grabbed Gladion’s hand again and nodded, while he intertwined his fingers with mine and smiled. This boy is gonna be my downfall, isn’t he? I thought to myself, failing miserably at covering up a smile and a blush as we took off for the Ultra Beast, our plan in tow. 

__

 

__

I half-expected our plan to fail miserably, but it actually worked out pretty well all things considered. Gladion and I hurried to the other side of the clearing where Pheromosa was waiting, our Pokémon hiding in the adjacent trees. We were able to get close enough to them to where we could call out our commands without being detected by the Ultra Beast.

__

“Use Brave Bird!” I called, as Gladion simultaneously directed his Crobat to use Air Slash. The two flying-types attacked the UB from out of the tree line, successfully catching it off guard, as per our plan. Gladion ran out and threw the Beast Ball at it, and after what felt like way too long, it finally clicked into place. Ankle still throbbing, I carefully stepped out of the tree line where Decidueye came to meet me and help me steady myself. “Thanks buddy.” I praised, scratching the creature on the head as Gladion returned to my other side, wrapping an arm around me to help support some of my weight.

__

“You ready to go? I think it’s probably safe to take a Charizard back to Aether now.” He pointed out.

__

“I’m ready, but.. I kind of want to rest at home tonight.. You can stay there too, if you want.” I suggested, hoping he would oblige.

__

“Oh.. Well, I wouldn’t want to im-“ He started, before I cut him off.

__

“No, really. It’s fine. My mom won’t mind, and I’m sure she’s just about finished up with dinner.” I assured, to which he just smiled at me.

__

“Well, okay then. Crobat, good work today! Return!” He shouted, calling his Pokémon back, as I did the same, and then summoned a Charizard to take us home. He insisted that we share one ride Pokémon, so that he could monitor my ankle and keep me stable in case anything were to happen. That’s what he told me, anyway, I thought as we flew away, sitting so close together that I could feel his heartbeat. 

__

 

__

“Thanks for inviting me to stay. I really didn’t want to go all the way to Aether tonight.” He explained after we landed, helping me off of the Charizard.

__

“Of course, Gladion. You know you always have a place to stay anytime you need it.” I reassured him, smiling as we walked into the house.

__

“Hi, honey! How are you feeling? Oh! Hello, Mr. President. What a surprise!” She exclaimed cheerfully as always, working away at dinner in the kitchen.

__

“Hey Mom. I’m feeling a little better now, I guess..” I told her, wincing slightly as I walked into the living room.

__

“Please, call me Gladion. Uhhm…” He gestured nervously toward me as I sat down on the couch.

__

“Um, Mom? Is it okay if Gladion stays the night? That.. Mission I told you about took a little longer than we thought, and we’re both exhausted.” I rationalized, hoping she would be okay with it. I knew she would be okay with it before we even got here, but that didn’t take away the apprehension that I had about asking for her permission.

__

“Oh, of course! I’m just now finishing up dinner. I take it you both must be starved?” She asked, turning the stove-top off. The both of us nodded, stomachs growling, moving into the kitchen to plate our food. Gladion sitting next to me, the two of us chowed down, not realizing until now just how hungry we were.

__

“Wow, you guys weren’t kidding. You sure are hungry.” Mom pointed out, giggling slightly.

__

“Oh, yeah. I guess you’re right. Chasing Ult- Uh, I mean… Saving the world- drains you sometimes.” I covered up, nearly giving away our mission. It’s not that I didn’t want her knowing what I was doing, because I know I can tell her anything. But, I made a pact to the International Police and to the Aether Foundation that I would keep this mission a secret.  


__

“So, how are things at the Foundation?” Mom asked Gladion, expertly changing the subject.

__

“They’re going great. We’re making real headway with our conservation efforts. And, the mission… we are working on now will really put us forward as world leaders in.. Pokémon-related research.” He explained, poised and prepared.

__

“That’s great to hear.” Mom replied, her and I both smiling in admiration, and we all finished up our dinner.

__

“Well, I’m sorry I’m not much of an entertainer..” Mom apologized as we were cleaning up our dishes.

__

“That’s okay. I think we kinda just want to chill out after the day we had, anyway.” I explained, sliding my plate in the dishwasher.

__

“I can.. Put on a movie maybe?” She suggested, rinsing out the dinner pots and pans.

__

“That would be great.” I told her, turning to smile at Gladion, who nodded and smiled fondly back at me. We decided on a newer movie, one that had come out earlier this year that I had really wanted to see. I sat in the middle of the couch with my mother to my left, and Gladion to my right. Together we watched, mostly in silence, with the occasional commentary or emotional reaction here and there. About halfway through the movie, my mom got up and headed to her room for the night, stating that she was too tired to finish watching. Gladion and I looked at each other nervously, feeling awkward that it was just the two of us left alone. Would it be that bad if we were together? I mean, I know I’m unsure of my feelings, and that I’m loyal to the mission, but… I thought, torn between my dedication to the International Police and Aether, and my feelings for the boy sitting next to me. At some point before the end of the movie, we both had fallen asleep, my head somehow ending up on his shoulder, his arm around my waist. Startled by a loud noise from the movie, the two of us woke with a jerk. Quickly separating from each other, I got up and announced that I was going to hop in the shower and go to bed.

__

“I’ll get you some pillows and blankets and prep the couch for you. Do you.. need to shower, too?” I asked in embarrassment, trying not to think dirty thoughts about him using my shower.

__

“Um, yeah.. I can wait until you’re done, though.” He clarified, blushing, also clearly feeling very nervous.

__

“Right. Yeah. Okay. I’ll let you know when I’m done, then.” I nodded curtly, setting pillows on the couch and handing him a comforter, then rushing into my room in an attempt to expel those thoughts. Unable to shake them, I jumped in the shower, letting my thoughts about the green-eyed boy sitting in the living room overcome me with a rush of pleasure. Upon exiting the shower feeling refreshed, I changed into my pajamas, which consisted of an oversized t-shirt and boyshorts, and peered out the door of my bedroom to let Gladion know that it was his turn to use the shower. “There’s an extra towel on the counter.” I pointed out to him, showing him to the bathroom.

__

“Mkay. Thanks, Moon. For accommodating me.” He said, softly placing a hand on my shoulder as I turned to him.

__

“A-Always.” I gulped, as he tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear, the thoughts from earlier working their way back into my mind, somehow pulling us together, their desire strong as ever. We remained like this for a moment, slowly getting closer to each other, until the distance between our lips was almost nonexistent, but I pulled away at the last minute in panic.

__

“We- Can’t…” I croaked, disappointed that I wouldn’t let myself give in. This was uncharted territory for me, of which I certainly did not know how to navigate.

__

“I know. I’m sorry.” He exhaled, and turned to go into the bathroom. I retreated to my bed, mixed feelings about our mission and the relationship that we didn’t have crashing over me in waves of anxiety until they exhausted me to the point of deep slumber.

__

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay in posting! I've been so busy with school, but I graduate in December, so if I don't finish this story before then, I will have all the time in the world to write after that!
> 
> Song of the chapter - Sanctify by Years & Years


	5. Keep your Eyes on me

The ferry ride back to the Aether Paradise was awkward at best. _When will this game of relationship limbo end?_ I asked the sky, despite knowing that I wouldn’t get an answer. “Let’s do this.” I sighed as we headed off of the boat, backpacks and heavy hearts in tow.

 “Miss Champion! President Gladion! Do you have anything to say about today’s Alola Weekly spread?”

 “How is your relationship affecting your duties as Champion and President?”

 “Give her a big smooch for us!” 

 _Of course there are paparazzi here. Why wouldn’t there be? Especially after yesterday’s spectacle_ , I wondered, cursing Arceus as we hurried past them. “Gladion, why are there Paparazzi here?” I asked him, and he shook his head and shuffled behind me, a hand on the small of my back, so that we would stay close in all of the mobbing.</p>

“I think it has to do with the Aether PR team- you know, they think any press is good press, right? It’s stupid.. I’ll talk to them right after the meeting.” He whispered in my ear as we made our way through the crowd and into the building. Once inside, I shrugged him off and continued on toward the meeting rooms. “Moon, come on! You know it’s not my fault, right?” He sighed, taking off after me. “Moon! I- I’ll talk to them!” He called, but I kept on walking to the choruses of ‘Good morning Miss Champion’s coming from the countless workers staged about the foundation.</p>

 _This place. This place just keeps on stabbing me in the back, doesn’t it?_ I thought, remembering the days of Lusamine and her tirade. </p>

  

Anabel and Looker did not look amused when Gladion and I shuffled in and sat at opposite ends of the table. They plopped today’s issue of Alola Weekly onto the center of the table, just like the last time. “You guys really love testing us, don’t you?” She asked incredulously, softly facepalming.

“Wait..” Gladion started, looking at the tabloid in disbelief.

“That’s not from when we were walking in Hau’oli...” I noticed, grabbing the magazine to get a closer look. It was a picture of the two of us standing outside of the motel before embarking on the second mission. He was gripping my chin during that pep talk he gave me. _So, they were following us_ , I scoffed and turned to the spread to see the montage of us walking through Hau’oli, tagged with a few paragraphs about Alola’s newest power couple. Shaking my head, I slid the tabloid across the table to Gladion so he could look at, and he actually winced a little bit at the look that I gave him.

“It’s not like we can control what they put in their story..” Gladion offered to the room, to which I scoffed. “Moon…” He sighed, growing annoyed at my dissonance. “I told you, it’s not my fault. The PR team has their own regulations and procedures that they follow, and they act of their own accord. They don’t have to go through the management team for their decisions. Wicke, please tell her.” He explained, guesturing towards Wicke.

“He’s right...” She piped in, obviously feeling uncomfortable at being thrown into the middle of this argument.

“Look, I don’t care if it’s your fault or not. The problem is, you knew that they had the capability to call the press, and you didn’t tell them not to. This could jeopardize the entire mission, Gladion! You do realize this, right? And not to mention our- friend..ship.” I chastised, sucking my cheek at the last part.

“Actually, it’s quite the contrary. With the press going wild over the two of you dating, they’re not paying a damn lick of attention to the ulterior motives. They won’t care about the mission if your relationship is on the covers. So, you guys are officially free to be together all you want.” Anabel explained, not quite hiding the smirk on her face.

“WE’RE NOT-“ Gladion and I objected simultaneously, but the pair leading the mission stopped us.

“That’s up to you guys to figure out. But for now, if you want to turn it on for the cameras, please feel free to do so. Now, let’s get on with the mission. The Beast Balls, please.” Looker gestured to me, and I crossed my arms and nodded to Gladion, who pulled them out of his pack. “Thank you. Wicke, will you please inform us of the research that you have gathered on UB-01, Symbiont- or, as it is more commonly known as, Nihilego?” Looker asked, beginning to pace around the room.

“Of course. There have been sightings of Nihilego reported in Alola’s past. Its most distinctive feature is its parasitic capability. When Nihilego latches onto a host, it does not manipulate its actions directly. Rather, it awakens the host’s own capabilities and boosts them to an extreme extent in order to protect itself. This neurotoxin of Nihilego’s is incredibly stimulating and inspires feelings of intense exhilaration and a lack of inhibition in its host. In other words, anything.. or anyone, that a Nihilego latches onto will have its native skills forcibly activated to their fullest extent, and will then act as it naturally desires to.” She explained, and my heart sank for Gladion. His face was apathetic on the surface, but I knew him well enough to know that he was reliving his worst memory on the inside. If I wasn’t so mad at him right now, I would give anything to comfort him, I told myself in private.

“Understood. Now, it has come to our attention that there is something else that you have observed about the toxin that Nihilego emits, is that correct?” Anabel asked Wicke, prompting her to continue.

“Yes. It seems that.. As Nihilego has been sighted in the past, people in Alola have experimented in using its toxins as somewhat of a hallucinogen. Now, clearly, as we have all seen from a first-hand experience, the prolonged exposure to the beast’s toxins can have lasting, detrimental effects on the human brain. We cannot let this information get out, at least until we have completed our primary research mission, and devised proper anti-drug warnings and policies. Our team will be spearheading this initiative, to be implemented following the capture of all of the recorded Ultra Beasts.” Wicke finished, and my jaw dropped.

“I can’t believe people would do that. I mean, after everything…” I started, feeling even worse for Gladion and his family. _Maybe I should give him a break._

____

“Agreed. That is why we have tasked the Kahunas with defending their islands from the Ultra Beasts. We have full confidence that they will be able to successfully do so, especially now that we are learning more about them and know what to expect. Your friend Hau has volunteered to help his Grandfather out in defending Melemele.” Anabel went on, and I exhaled, a little more at peace in the fact that what we are doing is actually helping.

____

“Now for the next mission. This will be UB-03, code name: Lightning. This beast can wield tremendous electric power, as its name implies. Sightings were made in the Lush Jungle. We request that the two of you head out today, so much so that we have arranged for you to stay overnight at the Akala motel to rest for the next mission. We will meet with you first thing in the morning for a debriefing for the following mission.” Looker directed us, and we both looked at each other and nodded.

____

“Thank you, Wicke. You are free to go.” Anabel nodded towards the older woman, who bowed and then shuffled out the door. “Now for you two. I knew we have been hard on you recently, but promise us you’ll take it easy, okay? Take a nice bubble bath and watch a movie when you get back to the hotel, on us.” Looker pleaded, causing the two of us to blush.

____

“Um, you booked two rooms, right?” I asked nervously.

____

“Of course. Now, you should go ahead and get ready to depart for Akala.” He responded, and we all gathered up our things in preparation to leave Aether.

____

 

____

“Hey.. I’m sorry I blew up at you earlier..” I apologized once we were on the ferry to our next destination.

____

“It’s okay. You weren’t in the wrong to be upset about it. I could have done better to prevent this whole thing from happening.” He replied, beating himself up in his typical fashion. _Why do I always do this to him?_

____

“No- don’t do that to yourself. There was no way you could have known. And now, it doesn’t even matter because of.. Well, you know.. So.. Don’t even worry about it.” I stammered, my cheeks growing hot.

____

“Okay. I won’t.” He said, smiling softly.

____

“And, I’m sorry for everything they said about your mom in there, and I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you. I wanted to be..” I spilled, and he took his hand in mine and pulled me into his chest, wrapping his arms around my shoulders while I breathed in the scent of his jacket.

____

“I’m sorry everything has to be as weird as it is…” He hesitated like he was going to say something else, but stopped once we had docked. Of course, there were already paparazzi waiting for us at the marina, snapping pictures of our embrace like a swarm of wild Butterfree using Flash.

____

“You wanna call a Charizard?” I asked, not wanting to deal with the mob of press awaiting us.

____

“I thought you’d never ask.” He smirked as I brought out my ride pager. Once the Charizard arrived, we hopped on its back, him in front and my arms around his waist, which gave the paparazzi even more of a field day than they were already having. We directed the Pokémon to the Lush Jungle and went on our merry way.

____

 

____

“Lush Jungle! This is where Mallow’s trial was! And where I caught Passimian!” I recalled as we hopped off of the Charizard’s back and headed inside the forest. The Ultra Beast’s energy smacked me in the face again, and I grabbed hold of Gladion’s arm, accidently pulling him down into a kneel with me. Groaning, I tried to snap back to reality, but it was taking me a lot longer than I wanted it to.

____

“Hey- hey, hey,” He cupped my cheek, trying to get me to focus on coming back.

____

“Mmrgh.. I- My.. Head... Ugh, and my ankle..” I tried, pressing my forefingers to the bridge of my nose.

____

“I know. It’s okay, baby.” He coaxed, stroking my cheek with his thumb, and I proceeded to melt. “It’s time to get up now, okay? You can do this, yeah?” He continued, pressing his forehead to mine.

____

“Yeah.” I nodded, and began to get up off of my knees in an attempt to stand up, Gladion gripping my elbows, while I held onto his shoulders as I got to my feet. “Thank you, Gladion. I don’t know what I’d do without you.” I told him, smiling up at him, meeting his emerald eyes.

____

“I.. You’re welcome.” He sighed, “…Let’s get on with the mission.” He continued, and we went forth into the jungle, both trainers refusing to leave the other’s side.

____

 

____

“Moon, what is it?” Gladion asked me when I suddenly stopped, deep in concentration.

____

“It’s the beast- I’m having a hard time tracking it down. Its energy is all over the place- I think it’s because of its electric power. It’s like it’s been leaving little bits of electricity all around the forest.” I explained, picking a leaf off of a tree and letting it float in midair due to the amplified electricity in the area.

____

“Well, maybe Silvally can help..” He realized, sending out his partner and attaching the Electric Memory.

____

“Hmm.. That’s a good idea. Silvally can help me trace the source of all of the electricity!” I realized, sending out my Type:Null, who roared with joy from seeing its friend. “There. Now they can keep each other company.” I explained, smiling at the two playing happily a few feet away from us. “Silvally, can I borrow you for a minute?” I asked the Pokémon, who barked in reply, and came trotting over to me. I sat down crisscross, and the Chimera lay down in front of me. Closing my eyes and reaching to put a hand on its forehead, I meditated into my own thoughts. Concentrating hard on all of the electricity around me, and channeling mine and Silvally’s energy, I focused hard on trying to peg the Ultra Beast down to a location. Once I was able to put my mind at ease, everything else just melted away. Just like when I was riding on Gladion’s back during the last mission- completely at ease, one with my own thoughts, I remembered. Continuing to focus hard on the UB, I could begin to see the various patches of electricity more clearly. They were mostly in the trees- likely where the Ultra Beast had brushed against them with its limbs while passing through. I needed one more burst of energy to see through to the beast. I put my other hand on Silvally’s head, inhaling and exhaling to the count of three. “Silvally, will you charge up a Multi-Attack, please? A small one?” I asked it, when I figured out that I couldn’t channel enough energy on my own.

____

“What? Moon, no! You’ll get hurt!” Gladion warned, but I shushed him.

____

“Alright, Silvally, now!” I directed it, and I could feel its electric energy surging through me. Keeping with my breathing pattern, I focused even harder on trying to locate the largest tuft of electricity that would make up the UB. Scanning the entire jungle in my mind, I finally landed on a small outlet just to the west of us. _I’ve got you now_ , I told it, and I could already feel it getting angry. _We don’t want to hurt you, but we will if we have to._ I informed it, pulling myself out of the meditative trance. “I know where it is. And its angry.” I explained to Gladion, who was looking at me in complete and utter shock. “What?” I asked him, confused as to what he was so spooked about.

____

“Just now, you- you were.. Glowing!” He stuttered, rubbing his eyes.

____

“What are you talking about? Silvally was using its attack. Of course I was glowing a little.” I rationalized, annoyed that he would be so naïve.

____

“No, it was- nevermind… You’re probably right.” He surrendered, putting its hands in the air in front of him, shaking his head.”

____

“..Right… Anyway, let’s go get that Ultra Beast.” I directed everyone, squinting at the path that would take us to the lightning monster’s den.

____

 

____

When we rounded the corner to where the wild Xurkitree was waiting for us, our Pokémon charged ahead to protect us. Gladion quickly equipped his Silvally with the ground-type memory so that it would be stronger against the electric-type Ultra Beast. “Gladion, together!” I shouted over the roar of electricity surging throughout the small outlet that we had ended up in, to which he nodded. “Use Take Down!” I directed my Pokémon.

____

“Multi-Attack!” He yelled simultaneously, and both of our Pokémon collided with the third, forcing its balance out of whack.

____

“Again! Hit it with a barrage of attacks so it has no choice but to give up!” I commanded, and the two Chimeras continued to attack.

____

“Moon…” Gladion choked in surprise at my relentlessness.

____

“What? This is the best way!” I retorted, the negative energy hovering in the jungle getting the best of me.

____

“We aren’t really supposed to injure it, remember? We’re just supposed to catch it! You’ve got to calm down!” He advised, resting a hand on my wrist.

____

“I don’t care anymore.” I sucked my teeth and pulled away. Just then, Xurkitree swung one of its arms at my Type:Null, causing it to fly back ten feet in the air, rendering it paralyzed temporarily. “NULLY! NO!” I cried, beginning to run towards it, only to be caught in a bear hug by Gladion. “Gladion, let me go!” I protested, struggling to break free of his grip.

____

“No, Moon! You can’t go over there- You’ll only get hurt! You have to recall it and send out another Pokémon!” He explained, amidst a series of grunts coming from the both of us as I attempted to get away and he maintained his position.

____

“I. Don’t. Care!” I yelled back at him, and he only tightened his grip.

____

“Well then, do it for Silvally! It can’t fight this thing alone!” He mustered, and I finally found myself able to calm down as I noticed his Pokémon getting pounded and working overtime to cover itself and Type:Null.

____

“Okay, okay, fine..” I groaned and recalled the fainted Pokémon, sending out my Metagross, as Gladion finally let go of me. “I think we can win with one last attack. I’m going to use a Z-Move to finish this thing up, okay?” I proposed, beginning to charge up the move.

____

“Do whatever you have to.” He replied flatly, directing Silvally to artistically dodge the enemy’s attacks.

____

“Metagross, hear my call! I need you to use your full power, together this time!” I commanded, hitting the Z-pose as my Pokémon and I started to glow with power. Metagross then charged at the Ultra Beast with speed that even a legendary Pokémon couldn’t outrun, and the Xurkitree finally fell. “Beast Ball, go!” I shouted as I threw the Pokeball, which didn’t even waver once before clicking in place, signifying our victory. As soon as the beast was encased in the Beast Ball, I felt all of the negative electrical energy leaving myself and the jungle like a sigh of relief. And all too soon, I realized how awful I had acted during the battle. “Gladion? I’m.. So sorry..” I began, “I don’t- back there, that wasn’t me. I just want you to know that.” I apologized as we started to make our way out of the jungle.

____

“Moon, I’ve never seen you like that. I mean, I know how you are in a battle, but this was.. Different… It was kind of terrifying.” He explained, still in shock.

____

“I know.. I don’t know what it is about these stupid beasts that makes me have such a physical reaction. But I’m ready to finish all of this once and for all so I can stop feeling like this.” I declared, and he snaked his arm around my shoulder to comfort me.

____

 

____

By the time we exited the jungle and made it to the motel, it was dark outside. “It’s a good thing they already had us booked.” I pointed out as we retreated from the front desk, keys in tow, and headed for our respective rooms. Once settled in with a pair of comfortable clothes to sleep in, I decided it may be a good idea to try and meditate, to get control over this Ultra Beast energy that keeps taking me over. Sitting in the center of my bed, legs crossed and arms flat in front of me with my fists touching, I started with deep breaths. I willed myself to focus on the energy inside of my body and the energy that I felt when I’m near the Ultra Beasts. I could feel the tickle of my skin, the warmth rising throughout my body, and my aura glowing in response. _I needed this_ , I thought, continuing to channel my energy and concentrate on my thoughts. Suddenly, I felt a sense of weightlessness. Opening my eyes, I could see my injured ankle glowing in a yellow-green light. Dumbfounded, I could only watch until it stopped. I poked my ankle a few times at first, utterly confused, and then I decided to get down off of the bed and try to walk. _No pain, nothing!_ I realized, shocked at my new ability. Just then, I realized that my meditation session had taken a lot longer than I had originally assumed and decided that this was a good stopping point for the night, before hurrying off to bed.

____

 

____

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song of the chapter: Focus by Allie X
> 
> This is probably the last chapter that I'll post for the year, but I will continue to update next year. I might be able to write one more chapter before the end of the year, but with the school year closing in on me, it's looking more like next year. Thanks for keeping up with me and happy holidays!


	6. We All Need Someone to Hold

The next morning, I woke to an incoming text from Looker:

_Your next mission is to hunt down and capture UB-05, code name: Blaster.  Its energy is unique in that it has the power to burn through most materials.  According to our reports, the beast is the largest that you’ve seen yet, and is incredibly slow moving.  It is currently hiding out in the Haina Desert. Good luck, and watch each other’s backs._

I got up and ready, grabbed a granola bar and a water bottle from the stash on the motel coffee table, and met Gladion outside.  We exchanged good mornings and called a Charizard to take us to Ula’Ula. 

“The power plant is probably the location closest to the desert that we can safely land..”  He called back to me once we were in the air. 

“Right.”  I nodded, and admired the view of Ula-Ula from high up.  I could see the Pokémon League, bright and shiny and covered in snow on the top of Mount Lanakila.  I had to admit, it was quite the spectacle when you weren’t stuck inside all day.  We landed near the power plant and began our trek to the desert.  Deciding it would be safer for us to ride a Mudsdale, we climbed aboard the ride-paged Pokémon. 

“These saddles are really only meant for one person..”  I pointed out, shifting awkwardly behind Gladion, who was holding the reins. 

“It’s okay Moon, you can scoot closer to me.  I won’t bite. Promise.”  He smirked at me from over his shoulder, and I playfully smacked his shoulder. We neared the village and I could already see the paparazzi crowing around the desert’s gates. 

“Why are they here?  Who would’ve tipped them off?”  I asked, the both of us at a loss. 

“You don’t think… Looker and Anabel.. No.  No way.  Would they?” He stammered, slowing the Mudsdale to a canter.

“Tip off the paparazzi to exactly where we’re going to distract from the giant beast wreaking havoc on the desert?  I mean, it’s certainly possible!”  I quipped incredulously.  The attendant at the gates was doing her best to keep the paparazzi back, but they were insatiable.  When they saw the eight-foot tall horse Pokémon galloping toward them, however, they parted to let us through, not missing an opportunity to get a few candid shots in before we were out of sight.  Upon entering the desert, we realized that the winds were proving to be quite turbulent today.  I pulled two scarves out of my backpack, risking a mountain of sand getting inside, and handed one to Gladion before I tied one loosely around my mouth, and slid on a pair of sunglasses.  We continued on for what had to be at least an hour, until I noticed a metal spire-looking shape emitting from the ground up ahead.  Tapping Gladion’s shoulder, I pointed towards it, to which he nodded, and guided the Mudsdale in the Ultra Beast’s direction.  The winds here were not nearly as strong as they were closer to the desert’s entrance, and we were able to pull our scarves down to speak. 

“Is that.. It?”  Gladion asked, and I nodded.  “Is it asleep?”  He continued, inching closer towards the beast. 

“Yes..  It is. It’s in a kind of.. Hibernation. That’s why I couldn’t feel its energy back there.  Normally I can feel an Ultra Beast’s energy as soon as we get close, and sometimes if it’s particularly strong, I can feel it if it’s on the same landmass as I am, even if it’s far away..  But this one, it’s like it’s energy is.. turned off somehow.”  I explained, inching closer as Gladion does to get a better look. 

“Well, maybe we can just throw a Beast Ball, and attempt to catch it now? I mean if we can get away with not battling it, then why shouldn’t we try?”  Gladion asked, pulling the Beast Ball out of his backpack. 

“I say we go for it.”  I suggested, shrugging, and he nodded, taking aim and throwing the ball at the dormant Ultra Beast.  Making contact, the ball rocked back and forth a few times before clicking into place. We both stared at it for a near minute before looking at each other in shock.  “I guess.. that’s that?”  I questioned and went to pick up the Beast Ball.  Pocketing it, I texted Looker to let him know that we had captured the target. 

“Let’s head to Malie.  I just let Looker know that we would prefer to stay there tonight because of all the paparazzi that were waiting by the desert.  Wouldn’t want them to hound us at the motel in the village.”  Gladion explained, and I agreed and called a Charizard.

 

There were paparazzi in Malie too, much to our dismay, but luckily the hotel here in the city had much more security than the meager motels that we had been staying at throughout our missions.  “The reservation will be under the name Looker. Just look again, please.”  Gladion repeated sternly to the hotel receptionist.  

“I’m sorry sir, but there is nothing booked, and we do not have any available rooms right now.  You will just have to take a trip to our sister site near the Haina desert. We can arrange a Mudsdale shuttle for you if-“

“James, is it?  Just look again.  This is sensitive business.  It is of the utmost importance that we stay here tonight.”  I chimed in, hoping to convince her to clean up two rooms for us just for the night. 

“ _As_ I’ve already said a million times, we just don’t have anything open for the night, even for the Champion and the President of the Aether Foundation.”  The receptionist replied, refusing to take part in our battle of dominance.  “Now, if you’ll excuse me, an important reservation just came through, and I must take care of it immediately.”  Gladion and I glanced at each other knowingly, then turned back to the receptionist, waiting for recognition.  “Looker of the International Police, for a Gladion and a Moon, eh?  You didn’t say that you were here on business with them, now did you?  Can I see some ID’s?”  He replied, still trying to remain in control in this situation.    

“You just _personally identified us_ \- as you serious?!”  Gladion began to raise his voice, and I placed a calming hand on his arm. Groaning, we both slapped our ID’s on the desktop. 

“Great!  I assure you can see yourselves to your room, without any extra accommodation?  The elevator is to the left and you will find breakfast first thing in the morning in the lounge.”  James explained, not even bothering to look up from the computer screen. 

“Room?  This has to be a mistake.  They always book two rooms for us!”  I protested, but the receptionist just waved us on.  

“This is just perfect…”  Mumbled Gladion as we rode the elevator to our floor. 

 _One room?!_ I texted Looker.

When we arrived, Gladion and I were unpleasantly surprised to find only one bed, sitting nonchalantly in the center of the room.   

 _One bed?!?_ I texted Looker again, furious.

 _Sorry, kid. It was literally all they had. You guys insisted on staying here tonight._ He replied quickly. 

“Well maybe we can-“

“What, Gladion?  Go back to that asshole attendant and demand a different room? We were lucky to get this one!”  I lashed out, immediately feeling sorry about raising my voice. 

“Gladion, I- I’m sorry.  I didn’t mean to yell, it’s just, it’s late and we’re both exhausted, and that guy was giving us such a hard time, and everywhere we turn people are expecting us to be in love or something, and we’re just trying to focus on finishing up this mission here, and-“

“No, Moon.  You’re right. Let’s just try to relax and get some rest before the meeting tomorrow.”  He sighed, placing his backpack by the desk and fishing for his pajamas and toothbrush.  Once he was in the bathroom with the door locked, I sighed deeply to myself, and went to change into my pajamas and collapsed onto the bed.  When he came out, he crawled onto the other side of the bed and shut off the light.  After an hour of listening to me toss and turn, he clicked the light back on and glared at me wildly.  “Are you okay?  I can’t sleep with you doing.. that.  Just go to sleep!”  He whispered accusingly.

“I’m sorry- I can’t get comfortable.  I’ll just.. try harder, I guess.”  I attempted, adjusting my position one more time before he cut the lights again. 

“Thanks…”  He grumbled, clearly annoyed at me.  I turned over again, my body unwilling to let me rest until I found a position that it deemed good enough.  Gladion, frustrated by my lack of readiness to go to sleep, grabbed me by the shoulder and lower back, and turned me over so that I was laying atop of his chest and our legs were tangled.  “Moon, don’t move.  Just relax and go to sleep.  Please.” He begged, and I obliged, my body finally happy with its current position.    

 _Urgent news, guys.  Another beast has been spotted.  UB-06, code name: Blade.  It has limbs of razor-sharp steel that can cut through almost anything.  It has been causing a ruckus in Malie Garden.  Police have been able to secure the location long enough for the two of you to arrive.  Meet back at Aether as soon as you’re done._  

We awoke with a jump at four in the morning to a text from Looker.  Still in the position we had fallen asleep in, I darted up to grab my clothes out of my bag, trying and failing to hide the nervous blush that had grown across my face.  When I left the bathroom, changed and ready to go, Gladion was slinging his backpack on as we exited the hotel room. 

“At least the paparazzi probably won’t bother us at this hour..”  I yawned, the both of us utterly exhausted and annoyed to have to begin our mission so quickly. 

 

When we arrived at the scene, I nearly collapsed, doubling over from the intensity of the Ultra Beast’s energy.  Gladion helped me back to my feet as the police hurried to my aid. 

“The target is inside.  We have been keeping it safe out here- keeping civilians away from the location. That thing- it may be small but it is fast and precise..  It got one of our own.  Miss Champion, are you sure you’re well enough to face it?”  The head officer asked after giving us the low-down.

“I’m fine.  Just tired.” I replied curtly, biting my lip. The officer nodded, and stepped out of the way for us to head through. 

“Thanks for the help.”  Gladion smiled at the officers. 

 

“Mmmrrgh.”  I groaned, looking up and realizing where I was.  Sprawled out on the floor by the entrance to Malie Gardens, Gladion was rubbing my cheek and hand, begging me to wake up.  His Type: Null and Weavile were on the front line, defending us from the Ultra Beast while he tended to my sudden collapse.  “I’m okay.  Gladion, I’m sorry.”  I apologized, trying to get up from the ground with his help.  Holding my head in pain, I stood to my feet, pulling out a Pokeball.  “Nully, we need your help.. urrghhh..”  I yelled, piercing my own temples with my voice.  Gladion just stared at me in shock.  “Hey, I’m fine.  I promise. It just caught me off guard.”  I tried to assure him, and turned to direct my Pokémon’s attacks.  “Nully, use Crush Claw!”  I shouted, as my Pokémon tried its best to hit its target.  Unfortunately, the thing moved at the speed of light, or what I could only assume was somewhere close to it, so our attacks were not doing very much. 

“Weavile, use Ice Shard!”  Gladion directed, and his Pokémon shot an icy beam at the beast, hitting it square in its abdomen, and knocking it to the ground.

“Nully, now!  Crush Claw again!”  I commanded, and my Pokémon began charging toward the Ultra Beast, completely shrouded in a blinding white light.  It collided with the UB, temporarily knocking it out.  Gladion threw the Beast Ball, which quickly clicked into place in victory. 

“Nully..”  I began,

“It evolved!  Moon, that’s amazing!  Our Pokémon only evolve when they have complete trust in their trainers!” Gladion congratulated me when he returned from picking up the Beast Ball.  I ran to my Pokémon to give it a huge hug. 

“Is that true?  You evolved for me?”  I asked it, and it roared a triumphant reply.  “You’re the best, Nully.”  I praised it, recalling it into its Pokeball. 

“Gladion..”  I mused, walking toward him.

“Yeah?”  He asked innocently, eyes wide, as I broke into a jog to reach where he was standing.  _He is the one who is always in control, but today, I am.  This is my moment to show him how I really feel._ ” I reminded myself, throwing my arms around his neck and crashing my lips into his.  He was home.  _This is where I am supposed to be._     

“Seeing Nully evolve, and how much you cared for me- not just today when I fell, but throughout this entire mission, I- I just can’t believe it took me this long to realize how much you mean to me.”  I told him, laying it all out on the table for him to digest. 

“Moon, even though I try to pretend otherwise, you’re my world, my universe, my _moon_. I am always here for you.”  He smiled, petting my hair, his green eyes sparkling in the starlight.  I buried my face in his chest, and he wrapped his arms around me and kissed the top of my head. 

 _I could stay like this for an eternity._ “We need to head back to Aether.”  I remembered, sighing and calling a Charizard. The sun was beginning to peek through the horizon creating flames of red, orange, pink, blue, and purple, and from the sky especially, it was one of the most beautiful things I had ever seen. “I’ve never seen the sky like this! I should fly at this time more often!” I exclaimed as we neared the Aether Paradise.  Gladion turned over his shoulder and kissed me. 

“You’re adorable when you’re excited.”  He winked, not quite pulling away quick enough to dodge the paparazzi clamoring to get a shot of us as we landed.         

 

“The remaining three Ultra Beasts, as per your orders, sir.” Gladion saluted, handing Looker the Beast Balls. 

“Thank you very much.  You guys are doing great work.  Ms. Wicke, will you please update us on any research you have uncovered on our previous specimens, Pheromosa and Buzzwole?”  Looker asked, motioning towards Wicke, who was uploading a hologram of Buzzwole from her device. 

“Of course, thank you, Looker.  UB-02, Code name: Absorption, also known as Buzzwole.  We have found its most distinctive feature to be the ability to strengthen itself.  It is able to absorb energy and then achieve a chemical reaction between the energy it has absorbed and its own body fluids.  As a result, Buzzwole’s body swells to an almost explosive extent. Its muscles bulge and are so thick and dense, that they are even stronger than steel.  Both its attack and defense experience a clear leap in power. It also displays a habit of striking a pose each time it takes any sort of action..  It is hypothesized that this may, in fact, be a form of communication, but our research has not advanced that far yet..  Next, UB-03.  Code name: Beauty, also known as Pheromosa.  This UB can reach speeds exceeding 120 mph in just an instant. This speed is greater than any other living creature that has been discovered to date. But its most distinctive features may in fact be its beauty and its powerful pheromones. Most any creature that squares off against a Pheromosa becomes confused, as if struck by the beast's beauty, and loses the will to fight. It is still a subject of research, but it's thought that Pheromosa may possess some sort of organ able to produce a pheromonal substance previously unknown to science. We will continue at once to research these organisms, and begin our studies on the new species that the two of you have captured.  The Aether Foundation thanks you for your hard work and sacrifices."  Wicke smiled proudly at Gladion and I. 

“Thank you, Ms. Wicke.”  Anabel conceded.  “Now. Your next and final mission is going to be the most difficult yet.  It involves a colossal creature that has burrowed deep into the Ancient Poni Path. As of now, we have coined it UB-07, code name: Glutton.  It possesses a fearsome appetite of which is only satisfied by consuming parts of the continental crust.  Our reports say that it is deep in a state of slumber in the Resolution cave, brought on by Mina and Hapu, but it will emerge ravenous tomorrow.  We advise that you bring a third accomplice with you on your mission in order to help defend against the beast.  Perhaps one of the other Trial Captains, or league challengers-“

“Hau!  Hau can do it.  He’s really come a long way with his Kahuna training.  He’ll jump at the chance to help.”  I justified, and the two international police members nodded.

“Perfect! You two should stay here for a little while to rest and gather your strength, but do head out to Poni first thing in the morning.  Oh, and by the way, keep up the charade with your _relationship_.  The press can’t get enough of it, and are totally in the dark on the real mission at hand.”  Looker instructed, adjourning the meeting.  Gladion and I glanced at each other nervously, before following suit behind the others and then making our way to the President’s quarters.   

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Sorry it's been so long since I updated! I've just been so busy with finishing up my last semester and graduating and getting my life in order and all that!  
> P.S. I was definitely inspired by Sad Goomy on this chapter- go check out their works, especially Much Ado because they are amazing and way better than me in every way!!
> 
> Song of the chapter: Someone to Stay by Vancouver Sleep Clinic


	7. Yeah, it was us Against the World

“Yes, first thing in the morning.  That’s right. Yep, we’re at Aether for the night. You can come now, or in the morning. It’s up to you.  Okay.  Alright. Sounds good.  Okay.  See you then. I can’t wait to see you either, Hau. I feel like it’s been so long! Yeah, he’s here.  Hau says hi.” 

 

“Tell him hey.” 

 

“He says hey. Yep.  Okay cool.  Alright. Bye, Hau.”  I sang, hanging up the phone and turning back to Gladion.  “He’s gonna meet us here first thing in the morning and then we can depart for Poni.  He still has a few things to take care of tonight.”  I relayed Hau’s message to my partner in crime, who nodded silently.

“I bet it’s always weird being back here for you.  I mean, I know it is for me cuz’ the last time I was here we- well, you remember…”  I blurted, nervous from thinking over the events of the last 48 hours, and from the jarring reminders of not only Lusamine’s meltdown just months ago, but also from the first time I spent the night with Gladion.  Neither of us could sleep alone, horrified by the nightmarish images of Gladion’s mother merging with Nihilego running through our heads.  We found comfort and solace in each other, just as we had always done.    

“Speaking of which, everything I said back there… I meant all of it, okay?  I want you to know that, in case anything ever happens. I’m always here for you.”  He confided, the repressed tension filling up the room like air in a balloon.

“Why are you saying it like that?  Everything’s gonna be fine, Gladion.  And.. I meant everything that I said, too.  You mean so much to me, and I am so thankful for you, and I don’t know what I would do without you by my side.”  I confessed to him, sitting on his lap and kissing him on the cheek. 

“I don’t know..  It’s just.. I don’t want to lose this, I suppose.”  He pondered, hooking a finger under my chin, and pulling me in for a kiss.  Exhaling into him, I allowed myself to sink into the kiss, losing myself in the taste of his lips, the feel of his arms around me, the rush of it all.  Sooner, rather than later, I adjusted my legs so that I was straddling his, and angled slightly above him.  He traced a finger down my back, sending chills all throughout my body, yet starting a fire inside.  We continued like this for a moment, before pulling apart.  It was all too easy to get lost in him.  _Fuck._ We hesitated with our foreheads pressed together, a minute of silence to process what we had just discovered together.  An instantaneous, cosmic connection.  A knowing. An understanding of just how to fit inside of the empty space beside each other, how to make both of our hearts ache with desire, want, _need._    Pure passion.  Our heartbeats slow down to a resting pace.  I sigh, unaware of a way in which to begin conversing. 

 

“Can I show you something?”  He asked, and led me to the island’s conservatory.  At night, it was a sight to behold.  The moonlight filtered in through the windows on the ceiling, causing everything throughout the space to glimmer as if it were kissed by the stars themselves.  The gigantic room, otherwise empty aside from the two of us and the countless slumbering Pokémon, was a calming soundtrack of nature’s music played for us by the waterfalls lining the corners of the room, and the occasional rustling of the trees. 

“I’ve been in here a few times before, but…  I’ve never seen it like this..”  I gasped, looking around in awe. 

“This... Is where I come to relax..  To recoup, when I need to get away from the stress of it all.”  He explained, taking me by the hand to the opposite corner of the room. 

“It’s so peaceful at night.  You can feel the relaxed energy of each and every Pokémon…”  I noticed, sneaking peaks of the sleeping Rowlet and Pikipek in the trees. 

“Exactly. During the day, it can almost be chaotic with all of the workers and visitors…. Anyway, before the mission, we had received a group of injured Pokémon from Hoenn to look after.  Apparently, the infamous Team Aqua is not exactly dormant.  But, I wanted to introduce you to a few friends that I had made.” He explained, opening a door on the side of the conservatory, which led to a small, dim nursery.  Inside, three Lunatone floated midair, lit up like the real moon. 

“Gladion…”  I gasped, at a loss for words.  “They’re beautiful!”  I described them, in the only way I could. 

“I figured you would think so.  They’ve become some of my favorite guests here.”  He disclosed, reaching out to pat one on the head.  “They’re incredibly affectionate, but I think they’re very misunderstood as a species.”  He rationalized, and they all floated down to him, orbiting around him like he was the Earth. “They are nocturnal creatures, and some researchers even hypothesize that they originated in space, much like the Ultra Beasts.  Some of our team have been doing some remote work with Professor Cozmo to further investigate this link.  I thought you would be glad to hear.”  He smiled, as one of the Lunatone happily settled in his arms. 

“Gladion, this is amazing!  You don’t know how proud of you I am for all of the work that you’ve been doing since you took on the role of the president.  And I know your mother and Lillie would be, too, if they could see everything that you’re doing.”  I assured him, reaching out to give him a tight hug.  “Thank you for showing me this.”

 

The next morning, Hau, Gladion, and I set out for Poni Island.  Arriving at dawn, we began the trek to the opposite end of the Island, nearly the same journey that Lillie and I had made not too many months before. But I was stronger this time, and I knew what awaited me.  I had meditated on the ferry ride over, so that I wouldn’t be weak to the Ultra Beast’s energy once again.  So that I could focus.  _I have to focus, to keep the others safe_ , I reminded myself when we neared the site of the beast.  Gladion and I sent out our Silvally, and Hau sent his Raichu out ahead.  I could feel the ground trembling from the UB, an earthquake of a Pokémon.   _What are you?_ I asked it, trying to channel calming vibes. 

“Moon, stay behind me.”  Gladion urged, putting an arm out in front of me. 

“No, Gladion. We’re all in this together.”  I protested, pushing his arm out of the way.  The three of us looking up, we realized we had just stumbled upon the Ultra Beast’s lair.  Each of us momentarily stunned in fear, our Pokémon charged onward to defend.  The UB, three stories high and as wide as it was tall, was a terrifying sight, and all I could do was stare.  Gladion stepped forward, commanding his Silvally to use its Multi-Attack on the giant Pokémon, causing the beast to fall back ever so slightly. The Guzzlord, enraged that it had newly become a target, unleashed a Dragon Pulse that blew straight past Silvally and hit Gladion square in the chest.

 

And his body crumpled to the floor. 

 

I stood in shock, shaking all over.  I didn’t hear myself yelling his name over and over again.  I didn’t hear Hau calling me back, telling me not to go closer.  I didn’t care that he tried to grab hold of me, pulling me back, as I fought my way through his grip.  I didn’t care that he sent his entire team out to defend, as the two Silvally’s rose up to fight too.  All I cared about was that Gladion was on the ground and that I had to get to him.  All I knew was that that monster attacked _my_ Gladion. 

“Gladion!” I yelled, cupping his face in my palm.  “Gladion, please! No!”  My voice strained as I checked his vitals.  A pulse.  Good. Staggered breathing, but breathing nonetheless.  Thank Arceus. Come on, Moon, think.  Focus.  Looking back, I see Hau commanding all 8 Pokémon at once, and, he’s winning.  The mountain of a beast has been pushed back a few more yards, although it still doesn’t seem to want to give up just yet.  “Keep it up, Hau!” I called, willing my friend to stay strong.  _He’s really come into his own, just like the Kahuna he was always destined to be._

Refocusing my mind back on Gladion, I put my hands on his chest and began to move my face towards his to initiate CPR.  Just then, my hands started glowing with the same yellowish aura from that night at the motel, which lit up his entire abdomen.  In total surprise, I lifted my hands up to examine them. The glowing light had extended and it now connected all the way up my forearm.  I placed my hands back on Gladion to see what I could do with this newfound ability.  _Please, Gladion. I need you.  We all need you.. please wake up.  I.. I love you._

Just like clockwork, his breathing returned to normal, and he woke with a spirt of coughing, leaning into my arms.  “Come here, it’s okay.  You’re okay.”  I pulled him in close to me, stroking his hair. 

“Moon, how did you... you.. saved me.”  He gasped, looking up at me in a mixture of awe and confusion. 

“I.. don’t know how I did it.. I just...  I don’t know. I was shattered.  I couldn’t bear the thought of losing you.  Seeing you hurt.. Well I.. But I’m so happy you’re okay.”  I mustered, helping him stand up, letting him lean against me for support. 

“I could really use some help!”  Hau exclaimed, two of his Pokémon down. Suddenly I knew what to do. 

“Are you gonna be okay? There’s something I wanna try.”  I asked Gladion, who nodded, and I help him steady his stance.  I walk up towards the gigantic creature ahead of me, with the biggest burst of confidence that I could ever hope to find, sliding past Hau and the Pokémon, ignoring the two boys’ cries of protest. 

As the beast started charging up its attack, I realized that this is probably my only chance, and if I mess this up, I could potentially be walking towards my own impending doom.  I get a strong, wide stance in front of the Ultra Beast, and it releases its attack.  I put my hands out in front of me, the glow around my arms starting up again, reaching my entire body this time.  I focus all of my energy, concentration, and strength towards stopping the attack. And it works.  I’m parting the Dragon Pulse right down the middle, and the Ultra Beast halts.  I channel everything I have into sending my own energy right back at him, which causes my golden aura to erupt and attack the Guzzlord.  It falls, and I collapse to my knees, my attacks having drained all of my energy. 

“Hau, throw a Beast Ball!”  I directed, breathing heavily.  He throws the ball, which wiggles around a few times before locking into place.  I exhale.  _We did it._   

 

“Moon!” Gladion screams as he rushes to my side. “Moon, say something!  Are you okay!?”  He yelps wildly, cradling my head in his arms. 

“Yeah, yes! I’m fine, just a little out of breath. I should be asking you the same question.”  I reassure him, the both of us helping the other to get up from the ground.  “You were down, Gladion.  I-“

“You saved my life. You… Healed me somehow..”  He whispered, shaking his head. 

“It’s the Ultra Energy.  I think it has something to do with being in Ultra Space.  I realized it a little while back when I healed my ankle…”  I chuckled nervously, realizing I had kept this important detail from him. 

“Well, if you two lovebirds are done here, I for one, would like to get home. 

“Go home, Hau. Thanks for your help..  With _everything_.”  I winked, giggling and waving as he hopped on a ride Charizard. 

“I think we need to get back to Aether as soon as possible.  You should talk to Wicke about your new… powers.  Maybe they can do some research for you.”  He suggested, and I nodded, and we flew back to Aether. 

 

We entered the Aether board room to a round of applause from the International Police officers, the Kahunas, the professors, and a handful of Aether staff. 

“Thank you both so much for your service.  We would like to award the two of you International Police medals of honor.”  Anabel congratulated us, hanging the medals around our necks as we sat down in our chairs. 

“We want the two of you to be able to call on us at any time.  Any crisis that comes up, please do not hesitate to involve us.  All we ask is the same of you.”  Looker explained, allowing Anabel to continue.

“Yes.  With this mission under your belts, you have just joined a secret, elite group of the most skilled trainers in the world.  You should be very proud of yourselves.”  Anabel elucidated, bringing up a logo on the TV Screen.  _“International Police: Selected Stealth Squad,”_ it read.  We call them our Triple S’s, and we look forward to working with you in the future.  

“Thank you.” Gladion and I said in unison. 

“Now, let’s get on with the meeting.  Ms. Wicke, will you please bring us up to date on the research you have uncovered since our last meeting?”  Looker asked of Wicke. 

“Of course.  UB-04, Code name: Lighting. Properly known as Xurkitree.  Its most distinctive feature is an organ that can generate power. This UB's bodily makeup is highly reminiscent of electric wiring, thus enabling it to conduct electricity with great efficiency. It can discharge as much as a million volts of power at a time. When it begins to run out of power, it stabs its legs and tail into the soil, entering a treelike state as it absorbs electricity from the ground.  Next up, UB-05, Code name: Blade. Also known as Kartana.  Its most distinctive feature is its thin and razor- sharp body, of which every edge has as cruel a cutting edge as any well-honed blade. The edges on its arms are particularly in a class of their own. Any opponent who tries to attack it will be cut down with a single strike of its "blades." Its thin body also allows it to evade attacks by dancing lightly out of the way. This is a very dangerous creature, considering its excellent offensive and defensive capabilities, but due to the nature of its body, it is also highly vulnerable to fire and moisture _._ Lastly, UB-06, Code name: Blaster, which we have coined Celesteela.  Its most distinctive feature is the energy that it stores within itself, a flammable gas that it can shoot from its two huge arms. This is mostly used to propel itself in flight and for battle, but it is thought to have sufficient power and lift to even fly into space. Its bodily construction closely resembles that of a plant, and it absorbs nutrients from the soil. We still have yet to discover the exact origins of these beasts, or what their purpose is here.  We obviously know that they are from Ultra Space, but how they enter and leave our realm remains a mystery.”  Wicke finished, some of the other staff scribbling a few things in their notes. 

“Now, to conclude, Kahunas, professors, Aether Staff, you all still have a lot of work ahead of you to protect the people of Alola. Kahunas, you already know what to do. Take care of any and all other Ultra Beast attacks.  And please, bring your respective Trial Captains up to date on this information so that you can enlist their help as well.  We will update the local law enforcement of our closing tasks.  Professors and Aether staff, it is up to you to educate the public about these mysterious Pokémon as you encounter more information on them. We at the International Police, thank you all for your compliance in these missions, and we conclude this meeting. Moon, Gladion, go get some rest.” Anabel smirked at us before exiting the room with Looker, likely getting a leg up on their next assignment. 

“Wicke, can Moon and I speak with you in private?” Gladion asked his colleague before she could escape the room. 

“Of course, you two.”  She smiled and led us to her lab. 

 

“So let me get this straight.  After going into Ultra Space, you now have healing abilities?” Wicke asked, rubbing her forehead. 

“Yes..  Basically it’s like a heightened form of aura reading..  It is what has helped me to locate all of the Ultra Beasts for these past few weeks.”  I explained to her.  “And I just realized that I can also channel it like a Pokémon attack, which is news to me…” I went on, recalling the end of our last mission. 

“What about Lillie?”  Wicke asked, and I had been wondering the same thing. 

“I don’t know.. She’s kind of been off the radar since we began the mission..”  I realized, missing my best friend. 

“We will get into contact with her and see if she has been having the same..  Occurences.”

“Thank you.”

“So you want us to run some tests on you to get to the bottom of this?”  She suspected.

“Right..  It would be nice to know why all of this keeps happening, and what I can do about it.” I clarified, nodding, and we set up a series of appointments for the next week. 

Gladion waited for me outside, his arms crossed as he leaned against the wall. 

 

“So?” 

“We’re going to go ahead and start on some tests pretty soon.” 

“Good.  Other than that, what’s your plan?”

“Tonight, I’m going to go home and rest.  After that, I think I’m going to take back my throne at the league.”  I told him, ready to take it easy for a little while. 

“I’m proud of you.”  He smiled, kissing me on the forehead. 

 

At home, I curled up on the couch with Mom, watching a light-hearted movie and eating popcorn. 

“It feels so good to be home with you, mom.  You have no idea what I’ve just been through.” I smiled and shoveled a handful of kettle corn into my mouth, and she hugged me closer. 

 

The next day, after hearing a soft knocking, I opened the front door to a disheveled Gladion.

“A-are you okay?  What happened?”  I worried, grabbing a Pokeball and reaching for my shoes.

“No, no.  I’m okay, sort of.  Don’t worry. You can put those down.  I just wanted to talk to you about something that’s been on my mind.”

“Oh…  Okay.” 

“So, this last mission was kind of…  A huge wake-up call for me.  In that.. I need to get a lot stronger, so that I can protect you, and my family, and my organization in the future.” 

“Okayyy…” 

“It really opened up my eyes to what is important to me.” 

“Which is?”

“You.  And my sister, and my mother.  And I think I should go see them.” 

“Oh.”

“For an extended period of time.”

“ _Oh…_ ” 

“Moon, I want to go on a Journey, in Kanto.  To train, and to get stronger, and spend time with my family.  Wicke thinks it’s a good idea, and I can help do some research for the Foundation while I’m there.  It’s a win-win-win.” 

“Lose.”

“What?”

“Win-win-win-lose.  We’ll be apart.”

“I know, but it doesn’t change my feelings.  I have to be better for you.  I _Will_ be better for you.”  He promised, holding my hands with both of his. 

“Look, I’m proud of you for wanting to reconnect with your family, but I can’t say this doesn’t hurt…  I guess, we’ll just have to make the best of our time together until you leave.” I nodded, trying to stay optimistic.

“That’s the other thing.. I’m leaving tonight.”

“ _TONIGHT?!_ After EVERYTHING?!”

“I am so, so sorry.  But once I came to terms with my decision, Wicke wanted me out there as soon as possible.  Moon, I-“

“No, I’m sorry.  You know that after everything that happened, that I would need you.  That after spending nearly every waking, and slumbering moment together, that any time away from you would be torture, but you don’t waste any time, do you?”  I screeched, getting up from my seated position on the front porch.

“Moon, I said I’m sorry, but I’ve made my decision, and I don’t have any other choice at this point!”

“You’re right, you have made your decision!”  I howled through the tears that stung my eyes as I turned back towards him for a second, slamming the door in his beautiful, tragically gloomy emerald eyes.      

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song of the Chapter - Otherside by Post Malone


	8. Take me Back to the Start, before all the Scars Affected me

_It was horrible, a truly grotesque sight to see. The strongest trainers in the world were being hunted, forced to live in hiding, isolated from the rest of the world. Everywhere she looked, there was torrential, never-ending rain.  Everything was dark, dull, and depressing, and it was hard to rise up against the evil. She couldn’t breathe, couldn’t relax, but the others comforted her.  She could not put names to faces, except for one.  He was a beacon of light, green and gold shining through the storm. He was safety, and for a while it was good.  But not all good things last, and soon he was torn from her grip, and that’s when the darkness returned._

“Phone call!  Incoming phone call!  Moon, wake up!  You have a phone call from Professor Kukui!”  Buzzed the Rotom-Dex, floating incessantly around my head like a swarm of Beedrill.  I rubbed my stuck-shut, bloodshot eyes, not wanting to open them only to see the same darkness from my nightmare.  Wishing I could reach over to Gladion for comfort, but knowing that option was long gone, I scrunched my knees into my chest and buried my face in my arms. 

“Moon!  Professor Kukui is on the line!  Please answer him!”  Rotom-dex chirped again to my refusal to acknowledge it. 

“Nooo...”  I shook my head, my hellish nightmare memories still fresh.

“Please!”  It whirred once more, and I finally groaned dramatically and pushed the button that would take the call. 

“Yes, Professor?”  I sighed, putting on my best ‘I didn’t just wake up from a nightmare suggesting impending doom and then attempt to ignore you’ face. 

“Well, I was just about to ask you how you were feeling, but judging from your face, not too well..”  He pointed out sarcastically, much to my annoyance.

“Gee, thaaanks…. I mean, it’s not like I just saved the world, _again_ , or anything.”  I rolled my eyes, rubbing my thumbs. 

“You know I didn’t mean it like that.  I was just checking up on you and seeing when you would like to take your throne over again.”  He offered, embarrassedly. 

“Oh..”  I whispered. “Right, that..  Look, I don’t know, Professor..  I feel like I’m not quite ready to return to everyday life yet. Do you think you could manage the spot for a little while longer?”  I proposed, truly not capable of giving him an answer. 

“Of course, but you know, those kids- challengers, they want to battle you, Moon.  They don’t want to see me and Hau up there.  They want to battle the Champion of Alola.”  He reminded me, a kind lilt in his voice.

“……..Yeah… Yeah..”  I responded after a moment of silence.  “Yeah, I know.  It’s just that I want to do some self-reflecting.  Some soul-searching, you know?  Just for a few more weeks or so.  After everything that’s happened- everything I’ve seen, I’m really just not ready.”  I explained, thinking hard about the mission, and losing Gladion. 

“Okay, Moon.  I understand.  And if you want to talk about it, you know Burnet and I are here.”  He concluded, and I could hear that he truly was worried for me.

“I know.  And thank you.  For taking over my position temporarily, and for understanding.”  I concluded gratefully, before hanging up the call. Sighing, I flopped back onto the bed and laid there for a while in contemplation.  _Nobody really knows all of what I went through out there- what it did to me physically and mentally..  Except for Gladion.  Wicke knows a little bit through what we’ve explained to her, but not even she knows the whole story_ , I thought, sighing again, trying to find it in me to get a full breath of air. 

“Honey?”  My mom called as she knocked softly on my door.

“Yes?  Come in,” I called back, sitting up, leaning against my headboard.

“Are you alright?  Do you want to talk about anything?”  She asked, concerned likely because she had heard snippets of my conversation with Kukui.

“Um, no..  Not right now..  And I’m not really legally allowed to talk about it, either.”  I replied politely, smiling through my stress.  “And I am scheduled to do some... Psychological tests at Aether today, to um, make sure everything is uh… good, and stuff.”  I managed, tiptoeing carefully around my words. 

“Okay, well if you change your mind, you know where to find me.  I know it’s already been a week since you got back, but I want you to know that you should take all the time you need to recover.”  She smiled back before turning away and closing the door behind her.

“Okay, Moon.  You can’t stay here depressed forever.  You have to get up and do something about it.  Even if you don’t want to.”  I coached myself, knowing I needed to get into the shower and make my trek to Aether for my research with Wicke.   

 

            I arrived at the Aether Paradise mid-afternoon, the bright sunlight peering through the skylights like waterfalls of gold.  Despite the otherwise cheerful energy of the place, it felt empty without a certain President roaming the halls, checking off his daily duties. 

“Ah, miss Moon!  It’s so good to see you.  How are you feeling?”  Wicke chirped when I entered her office.

“I’ve been better, if I’m honest.”  I couldn’t lie to her.

“Right… Well, let’s get started on those tests, shall we?”  She asked, getting right to the point to avoid the subject of the absent Gladion lingering in the air.  She took me into a nearby lab and prepped me for some blood work.  “Why don’t you explain to me when you noticed that all of these changes had started happening?”  She prompted, sticking my forearm with a needle. 

“Uhmm, around the time of my first Ultra Beast Missions.  Anytime I would get near a UB, a wave of energy would sort of hit me and weaken me. Sometimes, if the Beast was strong enough, I could feel its energy no matter where I was on the island.  And one time, it knocked me completely unconscious. Uh, yeah…”  She looked at me wide-eyed before removing the needle and placing the blood she took in a vial and sealing it for testing. 

“And the healing and aura channeling?”

“Well, the first time I went on one of the missions, my ankle was injured, as you know..  And, a few missions later, I used Gladion’s Silvally’s electrical energy to track one of the Ultra Beasts.  He said I was glowing, and I thought it was just because of the electricity, but soon I came to realize that it was my own aura.”  I explained, relaxing my mind enough to let my hand glow with energy so I could show her exactly what I was talking about.  “Like this..  And I can use it to heal myself, and other people, which is how I healed my ankle and Gladion when he was hit.  And, if I can focus enough, I can block Pokémon attacks, and use it as an attack, like how I did with the last UB.”

“…Right, okay…”  She hesitated, taking in all of the information.  To anyone else, it may have sounded crazy.  _Who am I kidding?  It probably did sound crazy to her_.  “While we wait for the blood work to come back, what I really want to do is see how you’ll react with an Ultra Beast in a controlled environment, like this.”

“Oh, Wicke, I’m not sure-“

“This is the Nihilego that you caught for us.  After we concluded most of our research on it, we began training it, exposing it to other Pokémon, and it has.. Mellowed out a little bit.  I would even go as far as to say that it has learned to become affectionate.”  She smiled, holding up the beast ball.

“Well…  Alright, if you say so…”  I replied, apprensive.

“Great.  Please, sit down.”  She motioned for the bench against the wall.  I braced for impact as she released the Ultra Beast.  Its energy did not hesitate to weaken me, and I gripped the armrests of the bench with an intensity that would have injured a person had I been holding on to them. Being in a room closed off like this made the energy bounce off the walls and reverberate in my head.  I couldn’t move.  I tried to focus and open my eyes before-

 

“Moon!  Moon, are you alright?” 

“Hmmrh?”

“It’s alright.  You fainted after I released the UB.  Can you get up?”  She asked when I awoke, opening my eyes to the ceiling.

“Yeah…  Ughh, my head…”

“I know.. I’m sorry, I should have known better.  I feel like in order to help you control it, we need to keep this up, but I’m afraid I’m not quite sure how to do so.”

“We need to do it in a bigger room, or outside.  Do you guys have any larger labs?”  I asked as she helped me back up to the bench.

“Yes, we have a few.  Do you think those would work?  Would you be okay with that?”

“I think we need to try.  But not today.  I need to rest before the next one.”

“Of course.  You can stay in the guest quarters until you’re feeling strong enough.”

 

I lay awake in a bed in one of the guest quarter rooms, staring at the ceiling and thinking about everything that had happened in the past few months.  My mind took me back to when I met Lillie, Hau, and Professor Kukui, and got my first Pokémon, Rowlet.  Then, completing my first few Island Challenges and defeating Hala and Olivia.  I remembered when I caught each and every one of the Pokémon on my team, and then meeting Gladion.  I remember Lillie getting caught up in Team Skull’s operations, and having to save her, and challenging Guzma.  I remembered when Gladion challenged me for the second time, and seeing the spark in his eye that told me that he was Lillie’s brother.  I remembered when we made our way to the marina on Malie to save Lillie, when he opened up and told me everything.  I recalled when he and Hau cheered me on as I battled Nanu, and when Hau eventually came around and accepted Gladion as an ally when the three of us teamed up to take on Team Skull at Aether.  Then, I was back in Lusamine’s Trophy room, where I watched the life drain out of her eyes when the beast appeared and she and Guzma escaped into the Ultra Wormhole.  I remember being sleep deprived, yet too afraid to sleep, awoken by the nightmares that had amplified Lusamine’s meltdown.  Then my brain took me to when I snuck into Gladion’s bedroom, and felt comfortable, safe, and calm enough next to him to fall asleep.  Then I thought about the journey on Poni with Lillie, and when we went into Ultra Space.  I was overcome with a shudder when I remembered how terrifying Ultra Space was, and how horrifying it was to see Lusamine fused with Nihilego.  Then, we saved her with the help of Solgaleo, and everything was good for a little while.  My mind wandered to my Pokémon League challenge, and when I trekked up Mount Lanakila and battled Gladion, Hau, the Elite Four, and Professor Kukui.  At that time, during the celebratory festival, I finally felt validated with everything that I had accomplished.  I remembered the moment that I shared in secret with Gladion at the festival, and then the one that I had shared with Lillie, before she left the next morning.

_Lillie._

_I hope you’re doing well in Kanto._

The Ultra Beast missions were all a big blur, jumbled around in my head, just like the energy from the beasts themselves when I’m near them.  I remembered the night before our first meeting with the International Police, when Hau and Ilima dared Gladion and I to kiss each other for the first time, and my heart skipped a few beats, both then and now.  I remember feeling so confused, trying to push him away, but ultimately failing when I realized how much he meant to me. I thought about all of the times that he had helped me recover from being weakened by the beasts, and all of his encouraging, loving words.  I remembered how it felt, just a few days ago, to be almost finished with all of the missions, and just to be-to exist with him, for a short period of time. 

_Am I being stupid?  Was any of this real, or was it all in my head?  Did we really feel love for each other, or was it just convenient to use him as an emotional crutch?  I mean, do I really need him that bad?  No, Moon. Who am I kidding?  If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t have survived the missions. I love him, and I miss him, but I don’t need him.  I can go back to being myself, now that he’s gone.  I have to do this_ , I thought, as I meditated and focused my energy to get ready for the next round of Wicke’s tests. 

            I found myself the next morning in one of the larger labs on the lower floor of the Aether Paradise.  Wicke had hooked me up to a machine which monitored my brain and heart through a series of wires attached to me.  She had led me through a guided meditation session, and with the quiet of the room and the steady beeping of the machine, I was able to slip in pretty quickly.  I had soon begun to float a few inches above where I was originally seated, glowing all-over in my yellowish-green aura color. 

“Good work.  Now, brace yourself and I’ll release Nihilego.”  Wicke advised as she held up the Beast Ball and sent out the Ultra Beast. I struggled against the pressure building in my head from its energy, subconsciously lowering my height in the air. 

“Fight it, Moon.  Breathe and focus.  What do you feel?”

“Errrgh- It’s a little different than the other Ultra Beasts. I’m.. more susceptible to Nihilego’s dark energy because of my previous experiences with it.  It’s pulling my concentration right out from under me!” 

“Don’t let it!  Keep going.” 

“I…  It’s- Ughhhh!”

_LET GO, YOUNG CHAMPION.  GIVE IN TO THE PEACE.  GIVE IN TO THE BEAUTY OF OUR WORLD._

_No!  I won’t! You can’t control me!  I am stronger than you.  Leave me alone, and go in peace._

“MOON!”  I heard as I snapped back to the reality that was Wicke unhooking me from the machine’s wires. 

“Hmmm?”  I mumbled half-consciously.

“What just happened?!”  She squeaked, checking my vitals.

“It..  was talking to me..” 

“Talking to you?  What did it say?”

“It told me let go, to give into.. their world...  I think this is how they lured Lusamine into Ultra Space..” 

“Are you okay?”  Wicke gasped as she monitored my vision.

“I’m fine..  I told it to go away.  That it couldn’t do to me what it did to her.”

“It went back into the Pokeball on its own.  I guess it was listening to its trainer, in a way.” 

“Hmm…”

“Moon, I think you should go home- get away from here for a little bit while I run some tests on the data from today and while we wait for your blood test results to come back.  I’ll call you when I’m ready to discuss everything.”

“I think that’s a good idea.”

 

“Hey, Mina.  What’s up? Any chance you would want to meet me for lunch at the restaurant in Seafolk Village?”

“Actually, I’m headed that way now.  Sounds great!”

“Perfect!  See you in a bit.”  I replied as I cut off the phone and hopped onto a Ride Charizard. 

 

“Heyyy.  How are you?” I asked Mina, hugging her as I arrived on Poni Island. 

“Same old, same old.  It’s been so long!”  She replied as we made our way to the restaurant.

“I know, I’ve been through so much recently..” 

“So I’ve heard!  Hapu filled me in about the Ultra Beasts the other day, after the missions were all done with.  I had no idea any of that was going on-”

“There she is!” 

“It’s the champion!”

“I knew she would show up here sooner or later!  I bet she’s going to the Battle Tree.”

“Moon, what do you have to say about your recent break-up with Gladion?!” 

“Did you know he skipped town and went to Kanto after you broke up?”

“What are you all talking about?!”  I asked incredulously as the paparazzi surrounded Mina and I. 

“Your relationship with the Aether President- it’s been all over the news for the past few months!  Do you have anything to tell the world about you two?  Will you be getting back together soon?” 

“What relationship?  We were never together!  Why won’t you just leave us alone?” 

“Don’t you still love him?”

“When will you be taking back your place on the throne as Alola’s Champion?”

“Come on, Moon.”  Mina stated as she grabbed my wrist and pulled me through the sea of paparazzi. 

 

“Are they always this bad?”  She asked when we were finally outside of the restaurant.

“Usually..  I’ve been kind of off the radar for the past few days, so I guess they’re out of content to print.”

“Well, you should see what they’re writing about you.” She disclosed, handing me an article she had pulled up on her phone.

“Alola’s own star-crossed lovers?  Trouble in paradise as the Aether President is spotted at the airport en route to Kanto?!  What makes these people feel that they have the right to make comments like this?”  I screeched as the waiter approached our table.

“It’s just cheap entertainment.  Oh!  Yes.  I’ll have a fresh water and the Large Z-Noodles.” Mina responded as she ordered her lunch. 

“Well, it’s my life.”  I sighed, crossing my arms.  “I’ll have the Komala Coffee and the Large Z-noodles.”  I told the waiter before they nodded and walked away.

“Well, then what did happen between you two?  You can talk to me, you know.  That’s what friends are for.”  Mina smiled reassuringly.

“I know..  It’s just hard because I miss him so much, and I’m mad at him for leaving, but at the same time, I understand why he did and I’m proud of him for it.  I just feel so selfish, especially considering the fact that we were never even official or anything.”  I spilled, rubbing my temples.

“Why did he leave?” 

“During our last mission, he got hurt…  And he wanted to go to Kanto so that he would be stronger.. For his family, and for me.  It also worked out that he’s able to see Lillie and Lusamine while he’s there, and do some research for the foundation.” 

“Well, you’re right to be proud of him.  It sounds like something he needed to do for himself. But I think you also have a right to be upset about it.  You owe yourself that.” 

“Yeah..  And we had just gotten so close, it’s weird not to be able to talk to him about everything, or be with him every day.” 

“I know, and it’s gonna be weird, but I think this is something that you need, too.  You need to remember how to be your own person again after the missions.”  She recommended, taking a huge bite of her noodles.

“You’re right.  By the way, what’s the Battle Tree?”  I asked, remembering what the paparazzi had said earlier.

“Have you heard of the Battle Frontier in Hoenn? It’s kind of like that.  It’s a gathering place on Poni Island for elite trainers only.  You would love it.”

“No way- I’ve always wanted to visit the Battle Frontier! I have to go to the Battle Tree!” I exclaimed, finishing up my noodles and coffee.

“Well then let’s go!” 

 

When we arrived at the Battle Tree, I was stunned, looking around in awe.  The place was beautiful, cloaked by the trees, only visible to those who were looking.  Itching to get started with my challenge, I chose my party Pokémon and went right in to battle.  With Mina cheering me on and my team by my side, I was unstoppable.  I battled trainer after trainer, plowing my way through the Battle Tree and getting stronger for it.  I kept battling until I was met with a familiar face. 

“You?!  Well, well, well, what do you know?”  Guzma chuckled.  Listen, kid. I’m not gonna battle you right now. We both know you’ll win.  But, I heard what you did to save Alola from those Ultra Beasts that Lusamine and I set free.  And I wanted to say thank you.”  The Team Skull boss replied, and walked over to shake my hand. 

“I’m glad you finally came around, Guzma.”  I smiled up at my former enemy, and decided to call it a day on my Battle Tree challenge.  I said my goodbyes to Mina and made my way home, vowing one day to make it back here. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Sorry it's been taking me so long to write, but I'm trying to finish this story up pretty soon. 
> 
> Song of the chapter - Forever by Elohim.


	9. Your Eyes Found mine, it was all at Once

“Hello?”

“Good morning, Moon.  Would you be willing to come over to Aether today?  I think I have all of the research completed and am ready to share my results with you.”

“Sure, Wicke.  I’ll be there soon.”

 

“Hello again.  I hope your trip over here was a good one.  You might be behooved to say hi to our guests.”  Wicke greeted me as I entered her office.  To her left was a video chat screen featuring the faces of Lillie and Gladion.  My heart sunk to the ground at the sight of him , and I did my best to hide it on my face. 

“Lillie!  It’s so good to see you!  How have you been?”  I asked, excited to finally hear from my friend for the first time in a long time.

“It’s good to see you too, Moon!  I’ve been pretty good, and so has our mother.  Oh, and I’m a trainer now!”  She explained, holding up an Alolan-form Vulpix.  “Gladion brought me this egg, said they were raising it at the foundation, but he thought it might be in better care in my hands! Look what it hatched into!  Say hi, Snowy!”  She smiled, raising one of the Vulpix’s paws to wave hi to the video screen.

“That’s amazing, Lillie!  I can’t wait until we can have our own battle together.  I’m so proud of you!”  I smiled, feeling truly happy for my friend.  My gaze shifted over to Gladion, who met my eye contact with a small smile.

“Hey....”  I twisted my lips, stomach flipping, feeling awkward that the first time seeing him in a while was with witnesses. 

“Hey..”

“So, anyway, Moon, your blood test results came back, and we also tested Lillie and Lusamine’s blood to see if there was any change to your DNA from being exposed to Ultra Space.”  Wicke continued.

“Oh, right..”  _Another reason for Gladion to be there._

“Well, we noticed a marker in yours that is not in either of the other two.  So that rules out any correlation between just being a faller, and well, your.. situation.” 

“What does that mean?”  I asked, confused as to why my test would be so drastically different to theirs if we were all subject to the same experience.

“We weren’t sure, so we tested the blood of a few of the Ultra Beasts, and they had the same marker that you had.” 

“So..  Are you trying to say that _I’m_ an Ultra Beast?  Because I know that all of this sounds crazy, but _this_ is just a little too much.”

“Not quite.”  Wicke laughed, pulling up a data report on the screen behind her.  “We noticed that the energy that you channel from the Ultra Beasts was strangely similar to another source of energy that we had picked up a while ago.  Remember when Lusamine used Cosmog to open up the Ultra Wormhole?  It turns out that the same energy patterns showed up in both sets of data- your test from yesterday, and the machine that opened the wormhole.  So, we continued to analyze the data, and the Pokedex data for Solgaleo.”  Wicke went on, causing all of us to freeze, listening in shock.  “What we believe happened, was that when you and Lillie went into Ultra Space with Solgaleo, the Pokémon must have used you as an anchor to tie the three of you back to Earth- to our dimension.  That way it could easily get back when you were ready to return.  It’s how the Ultra Beasts get in and out of our world.  They sort of imprint on a living thing, and humans are the easiest to do so on.  Usually humans aren’t an option, however, especially in the case of the UB’s coming from Ultra Space, so they choose other Pokémon, or foliage, or something of the like- whatever is nearby.  That’s why you’ve been having all of these new powers arise, Moon.”

“Does that mean that Solgaleo is an Ultra Beast?” Lillie spoke up first after Wicke delivered the news. 

“Yes, we had our suspicions, but our research was inconclusive before. With this new information, however we are able to essentially confirm it. 

“That’s incredible.”  She gasped, “That’s why Solgaleo and Lunala are our protectors. They know what’s out there!  Moon, it’s like Solgaleo knew you needed to be shielded, and he chose you to anchor itself to this world, for when it can’t be there for Alola.”  Lillie went on, and suddenly it all made sense.  

“To save Alola from the Ultra Beasts..  It’s like it knew..”  Gladion gasped, all of us going wide-eyed.

“No way…”  I was astounded, trying to take all of this information in.  “So, when Tapu Koko gave me the Z-Ring at the beginning of my journey, and when Solgaleo saw how far we were all willing to go to help…”

“They chose you, Moon.  They chose you because they knew you could be entrusted with this job. Just like all of us did.”  Gladion sighed, smiling fondly, sadness still living in his voice.

“I guess..  But you know I couldn’t have done any of it without you guys.”  I remined my friends, because it was the truth and they needed to hear it more often.

“Well, I suppose that’s it for this meeting.  The information disclosed today will stay between us and the Aether Foundation, Moon, so you don’t have to worry about that.”

“Thanks, Wicke, for everything.  I truly am thankful that you helped me get to the bottom of this. I feel like a weight has been lifted off of my shoulders today.” 

“You’re welcome, Miss Champion.  It’s always an honor.”

“Bye, Moon!  I can’t wait to see you again!  I know I’m definitely not ready to come back, but I really am excited to, whenever that ends up being.”  Lillie cheered, squeezing Snowy so tight that it let out a small yelp.

“Bye, Lillie.  I can’t wait either.”  I giggled before turning my attention to the boy next to her.

“Bye, Mr. President.  Always a pleasure.”  I smirked, knowing that would set him off the edge.

“Moon- Goodbye, Champion.  I look forward to doing business with you again sometime.”  He cocked his head and smirked his signature evil genius smile.  _Arceus, I miss him so much._   _I hope we can at least go back to being friends again when he comes home._

 

“Hey, Professor.  I think I’m ready to get back to being the Champion again.”  I stated, calling Kukui after departing from Aether.  _Seeing Gladion really put me in a good mood.  It took me back to the old days_.

“I am so glad to hear that, Moon.  I’ll set everything up for your return.”

“I’m actually on my way there right now.  Any challengers today?  I’m more than ready to get back to battling.”

“Not as of now, but I’m sure once the word gets out about you taking your throne back, trainers will rush to get a chance at battling you.”

“Awesome.”  I said, cracking my knuckles and neck.  _I couldn’t wait to get back in to the swing of things- to get back to the old me.  I needed this_ , I thought as I ascended the stairs to the Champion’s chamber at the Pokémon League.

 

\--- _One Month Later ---_

 

“Challenger approaching!”  Buzzed Rotom-Dex, snapping me out of a daydream. Taking a deep breath, I began my Champion’s monologue, as I always do when a new trainer enters the chamber. 

“So, you’ve come to challenge Alola’s famed protector? What makes you think you have the strength?”  I started, before the challenger was in my line of sight.  I preferred it this way because I thought it made me seem more intimidating. 

“Ah, I’d say it’s probably because I know her way better than any other potential challenger.” 

_That voice- it can’t be.._

“Gladion?!”  I gasped, rendered nearly speechless at the sight of the blond ascending the stairs. “How..?” 

“I’ve been training, Moon.   I knew I had to show you how far I’ve come with my team.” Stepping forward, I stared in shock, taking him in for minute.  He looked more confident, more dignified. 

“I can’t believe it-”  I spat, unable to find the words.  Heart racing, I pulled out a Pokeball, the only thing I could remember how to do. 

“Crobat, let’s go!”  He shouted, as he sent out a member of his original team.

“Lycanroc, it’s time!”  I yelled, tossing the Pokeball that I had grabbed a few seconds ago.  “Stealth Rock!”  I directed as my Pokémon generated pointed stones aimed at Gladion’s side of the field.  “Return!” I recalled Lycanroc before the Crobat could manage an attack.  “Metagross, you’re up!  Zen Headbutt!”  I called, not interested in playing any games. 

“X-Scissor!”  Gladion commanded, and both our Pokémon collided, causing substantial damage to each other.

“Metagross, stay strong!  Zen Headbutt, again!”  I called, and my Pokémon collided with Gladion’s Crobat, which made it fall.  “Hm, you have gotten stronger, haven’t you?  In the past it would have only taken it one hit to fall.”  I smirked, and he groaned, recalling Crobat and sending out his next Pokémon. 

“Weavile!  Let’s show her what we can do!”  He roared, sending out his next team member.

“Miracle eye, then use Zen Headbutt.”  I stated calmly, gently crossing my arms over my elbows and smiling self-assuredly.  His second Pokémon fell, and he only grew more frustrated.  “What?  You didn’t think I was just sitting around while you were gone, did you?”  I teased, walking over to Metagross to scratch its head. I took out the rest of his party with barely a dent to mine, and instead of sinking to his knees or doing something that the old Gladion would do after losing a battle, he just smiled proudly and walked toward me.  We both hesitated a moment before I fell into his arms. 

“Moon.  I’m so sorry I left.  Even though I knew I would never be able to beat you, I knew I needed to do this.  I had to prove it to myself- that I could go on my own journey alone.  That I could train with my team, be away from the Foundation, and be away from you for a while. And I knew I needed to face my mother again.”  He exhaled running his fingers through my hair. 

“Gladion..”  I pulled away.  “Words can’t describe how much I missed you.  But, you don’t have to do this.  This was good for us!  It taught me that maybe we shouldn’t put too much emphasis on trivial things like our relationship.  You should do what makes you happy.  Focus on your work at Aether, not on me.  I understand, and I’m so, so sorry for the way I acted when you left.  I’m happy for you.”  I supported him, bracing myself to continue to be let down gently.

“What are you talking about?!”  He asked, skeptically.  “You’re kidding yourself if you think it’s not you that makes me happy.  It’s you, it’s always been you, and it always will be you. I came back because I’m ready to be with you.” 

“You.. Did?” 

“Yes, and I am so sorry that I led to you believe otherwise. Please, let me make it up to you. Meet me at the Hano Grand Resort tomorrow afternoon?”

“I’d love to.”

 

“When I arrived at the resort, I noticed Gladion waiting near the entrance.

“Hey,” I called delicately.

“Hey.” 

“So, why here?”  I asked, looking around at the otherwise deserted resort as we started to walk toward the beach area.

“I used to come here all the time as a kid with my family.  Being with them over the past couple weeks has made me realize how much I had missed them.. And how much I had missed you.”  He explained as we came to a stop near the shoreline.  “I wanted to show you the sunset.  I’m not sure if you’ve ever seen it from this angle before.  Living on an artificial island for so long, it’s one of my favorite things to see.”

“It’s beautiful..  And I missed you too, so much.  I regret what I had said to you before you left pretty much instantly.” 

“It’s okay.  I probably deserved it.”

“You definitely didn’t.”  I smacked his elbow, giggling. 

“There’s something that I want to ask you, because you’re one of the most important people in the world to me, and I care about you so much, and I can’t live without you any longer, and-“

“Gladion, what is it?” 

“Moon, I want to ask if you’ll be my girlfriend.  Ugh, girlfriend sounds so frivolous, but I just-" 

“Shut up, you nerd.  Of course I’ll be your girlfriend.”  I cut him off as I pulled the neck of his t-shirt close to me and kissed him, hard. 

“Oooh, make sure you get this!” 

“The Champion and the Aether President, Alola’s star-crossed lovers, back together, at last!”  We separated to see a group of paparazzi wildly snapping pictures of us.

“Fuck it.  I don’t care who sees us.”

“Me neither.  So…  Want to go watch a Battle Royale with me?”

“I thought you’d never ask, Mr. President.”

“Well then, allow me, Madam Champion.”  He mocked, holding his elbow out to escort me, before sliding his hand down to fit in mine.  And there we walked, hand-in-hand, smiling back at each other with bright, loving eyes.  We were ready to protect the world together, and we were ready for whatever the future would bring us.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the end! Thanks for taking this ride with me. I had originally planned for this story to be a prequel to Only Abstract's Through the Storm (hence the homage to that story in the previous chapter) but it kinda took me on a different course (Go read that because it is one of the best fics to ever exist!). I'm pretty satisfied with how it turned out, though, and I hope you all are as well. If you're craving more Lonashipping, please feel free to check out my Spotify Playlist. All of the songs from my two fics are on there, as well as a few others, and some that make me think of Through the Storm. 
> 
> https://open.spotify.com/user/brittany_jane1/playlist/4UAsfzI55aoU5u4tGfYtAx?si=8dpHCcz2SS-fg0FdL67zpA
> 
> Song of the chapter - It's Always Been You by Ray LaMontagne


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